Secrets in the Will of Fire
by foxofmiracles
Summary: A young Naruto has a discussion with a ANBU member about what exactly it means to be Hokage. Now Naruto sets out to achieve his dream of not only becoming Hokage, but protecting the village and everyone in it. Chap 5 Uploaded! NaruHarem
1. A Conversation With Itachisan

"Spoken"

'_Thoughts'_

**Demonic/Inner persona spoken**

'_**Demonic/Inner Persona thoughts'**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Summary: As a young boy Naruto has a discussion with a ANBU member about what exactly it means to be Hokage. With a new determination, Naruto sets out to achieve his dream of not only becoming Hokage, but protecting the village and everyone in it. Not a Super Naruto, more like a smart Naruto.**

**Secrets In The Will Of Fire**

**Chapter 1**

Being a member of ANBU normally entails dangerous work. Work that makes you question the very core of human existence. As a Ninja, you are a tool, but as ANBU, you are a specific tool. You are a knife, or a sword, or an axe. You are something made to kill. So why was it this particular ANBU found himself in the middle of a Konoha park on a sunny afternoon?

The answer was a young boy sitting beneath a tree. His blonde hair moving gently with the wind as he slept. The boy was alone, no parents or other children where with him, which was strange seeing as how he wasn't even seven years old yet. As a matter of fact, it seemed that the area he was in was vacant of anyone save for the ANBU, hidden amongst the leaves of a tree. He had actually watched as children came through this section of the park, only to be quickly ushered away by their parents.

'What fools…' The ANBU member thought to himself. Yes, he knew of the Kyuubi, knew that it was sealed within the blonde haired boy. He also knew that the boy was about as harmful as a sleeping kitten. This wasn't the first time he had been selected to watch over him. The Hokage himself funded the money for these "A-ranked" missions. Not to say there wasn't any danger involved. The boy was often the target of the more rowdy or disgruntled villagers. But still nothing more than a single Chuunin should've been able to handle. It was simply a testament to how much the Hokage cared about the child.

ANBU-san's musings were cut short when he heard the boy yawn, and open his eyes, adjusting them to the light of the afternoon sun. He stood up and stretched, before looking around him. At first he looked wary, maybe even scared, and the ANBU couldn't blame him. The boy had been chased to the park by a group of Genin out to make a name for themselves. Rocks and kunai had been thrown at the boy as he ran away. The ANBU had just gotten to the scene in enough time to stop the group from seriously hurting him. Of course, the Genin were currently being stripped of their ninja rank by the Sandaime Hokage. Were it not for the general outcry that would surely come from the villagers, he probably would have had them imprisoned. The ANBU found that he himself like that idea.

Naruto finally seemed to decide the area he was in was safe enough, as he stopped glancing at the sides of the park. He sighed, and started to walk back to his apartment. As he did, the ANBU dropped out of the tree and waved to him.

Naruto's eyes lit up for a second, and he rushed over to the ANBU. "ITACHI-SAN!" He greeted, in his loud manner. The ANBU groaned inside his head, wanting to strangle his captain for forcing him to wear a weasel mask. He was pleased with Naruto's greeting however. He was one of the few ANBU who would actually talk with the boy, and the boy showed his appreciation with his excitement whenever he was the one on guard duty.

"Hello Naruto-kun, are you feeling alright?" He asked. Physically, the boy was fine. However that was normally the case after resting. Itachi was more worried about the boy's mental state than anything else.

"I'm fine! They barely even got me with the rocks, and I don't think any of the kunai hit!" Naruto said, flashing a toothy grin. Itachi wasn't fooled for a second, but Naruto couldn't tell due to the mask.

"Alright Naruto, if you say so. The Hokage would like to see you, so why don't we head over to his tower?"

Naruto nodded, and the pair proceeded towards the Hokage's Tower. After a few moments of silence, _'A new record'_ Itachi thought amusingly to himself, Naruto began to speak.

"Hey Itachi-san, what do you think of the Hokage?" Naruto asked.

Itachi was silent for a few moments, before answering. "I think the Hokage is a strong and wise ninja. Why do you ask Naruto-kun?"

"So you wouldn't pick a fight with him?" Naruto knew Itachi-san was strong. He had seen him fight before, normally a couple of drunkards who would find the "demon brat" and decide to have some fun.

"Of course not. The Hokage is a kind and honorable man, why would I want to fight him?" Itachi seemed surprised by the boy's question.

"I was just thinking. Maybe if I become Hokage, it'll mean no one will pick on me anymore since I'd be so strong! Then everyone would have to respect me right?" Naruto looked pleased at himself for coming up with such a brilliant plan. In his mind, it seemed rather simple. After all, if the old man could become Hokage, how hard could it really be?

Itachi stopped walking and looked at Naruto, who stared back up at his guard, wondering why they had stopped. Itachi sighed, and knelt down in front of Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, I wouldn't pick a fight with the Hokage. Not because he's strong, but because he's a good man. Being Hokage means more than being the strongest or the smartest. It means protecting everyone in the village, caring for them whether they care for you or not. I wouldn't fight the Hokage because I respect him, not for his strength, but for his character."

Naruto was obviously confused by this, so Itachi decided to elaborate. "You already know about the Fourth Hokage don't you Naruto-kun?" At Naruto's nod, he continued. "He was the strongest ninja to ever come from any of the elemental countries. He became Hokage not because he was so strong, but because he wanted to use that strength to protect the people of this village. The funny thing is a lot of the people he protected didn't even like him that much. Yondaime-sama had a lot of enemies, even in the village. Yet when the Kyuubi attacked, he didn't even give it a second thought. He stopped him, not even thinking of his own well being. Do you understand Naruto-kun? Even though he knew people in the village didn't like him, didn't respect him, he still gave his life to save them."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a few moments. "So, you're saying that being Hokage means protecting people, all the people in the village?" He asked.

Under his mask Itachi smiled, and nodded. "Not just protecting people, but also always doing the right thing. If you really want to be Hokage Naruto-kun, those are the things you must understand."

Naruto smiled at this. Not his dumb toothy grin, but a true and genuine smile. "Alright then! I will become Hokage some day Itachi-san! Just wait and see! I'll become strong enough to protect everybody, and I'll be greater than all the Hokage's put together!"

Itachi's smile grew under his mask. The boy was incorrigible. "Well spoken Naruto-kun!" He said. "Here then, we can't have our future Hokage training on an empty stomach. After meeting with the Hokage why don't you go get yourself some ramen?" Itachi handed Naruto some money, and Naruto's eyes lit up with happiness.

"RAMEN! YAY! ALRIGHT! I GET RAMEN!" Naruto yelled, dancing around Itachi as the two continued their walk to the Hokage's tower. Itachi laughed to himself at the child's antics. If only his father wasn't such an arrogant bastard, Itachi would like to introduce Naruto to his little brother. He had a feeling that the two would be good friends…

_**One Year Later**_

A young girl found herself huddled down, crying as the people around her mocked her. Shouting things about her "stupid big forehead". Her knees were drawn against her, and she had her hands over her ears, trying to block out the hurtful words. It wasn't the first time she had dealt with this. For some reason she seemed to be a favorite target of the bullies at her school. It happened at least once every couple of days. She would be sitting there, minding her own business, but sooner or later they'd find her, and it would all begin again.

"Seriously Sakura, I bet we could see your forehead from space!" One of them, a particularly mean girl with purple hair said.

Sakura felt herself cringe at the mean words, while on the inside she berated herself. She knew she was giving these people exactly what they wanted, but she couldn't help it. Why did they have to be so mean? What had she ever done?

She might have thought more about it, but one of the girls who had been teasing her gasped in surprise. Sakura looked up to see something… well, it was something all right. The girl who had just been teasing her stood there, only now she was covered with trash. A fish bone was caught in her hair, and she had something… Sakura didn't even want to think about what it was sliding down her arms.

"Hah! Now not only do you talk trash, but you're covered in it!" A voice called out from above them. Standing up in the branches of a tree, and overturned trash can in his hands, stood seven year old Naruto Uzumaki.

"YOU JERK!" The purple haired girl wailed at him. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU UZUMAKI!"

Naruto jumped down from the tree, landing between the bullies and Sakura. He was grinning widely at the scene as the girl and her friends glared at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Here, I'll help you throw that stuff away." With that said, he took the trash can, and slammed it over the fuming girl, before knocking her into her friends. The girl cried out in shock, struggling with the help of her friends to get back to her feet. While this was happening, Naruto grabbed the pink haired girl he now knew as Sakura, and ran off.

Sakura just followed along in shock. This boy had just… with the trash and… the tree… where had he… Her thoughts were moving a mile a second. Naruto for his part was just laughing that his devious plan had worked out so well.

They finally came to a stop, once Naruto had judged they were far enough away from the bullies. He turned and looked at the girl who he had just saved.

"Sorry about that, but I thought you might be getting tired of that purple banshee's screeching." Naruto said, grinning impudently at her. Sakura just stood mouth agape at the boy. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki!" He said cheerfully, extending his hand.

Sakura finally shook herself out of her stupor, and hesitantly shook his hand. "M-my name is Sakura… Sakura Haruno." She said. Naruto smiled at her, and she found herself smiling back despite her nervousness. It was almost infectious, this boy's smile.

"Nice to meet you Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed. Before she could even blush at the familiar honorific he had added to her name, the bell rang, signaling that it was time to return to class. Sakura looked towards the Ninja Academy building, and back to Naruto, but he was already gone. She looked around, but he was nowhere in sight. She sighed to herself, and walked back to class, but not before being joined by a little blonde girl, who had seen the entire event.

Naruto laughed to himself as he ran across the Konoha streets. When he had heard the bullies taunting the girl, he knew he had to stop it. After all, if he wanted to be Hokage, he had to protect everyone right? He was still trying to work out whether that meant that dumping the trash on the bullies' leader had been the wrong thing to do, but since no one got hurt, he figured he was okay. Still, it was confusing. How could he protect everyone, if some of the people who were hurting others were the very same people he was supposed to protect? Just thinking about it made his head hurt. He'd have to ask "Itachi-san" next time he saw him.

And so he decided to skip the rest of the day's class. After all, he had spent his lunch break helping people, so it was only fair that he take some time to feed himself right? And it's not like Iruka-sensei ever caught him at it! So with those thoughts in mind, he headed to his favorite ramen stand.

As Naruto sprinted towards his destination, Ichiraku Ramen, he heard shouting coming from somewhere nearby. He could only make out the words "hot blooded", but the tone they were being used with was evidence enough for him. With an internal sigh, he changed directions. _'Ramen will have to wait, a Hokage-in-training's work is never done!'_

The sight that greeted him as he rounded the corner was a strange one indeed. A boy with impossibly thick eyebrows was surrounded by other boys, his hands stuck firmly against his ears to ward off the taunting. The boy had wild black hair, and was wearing a white Chinese style shirt with dark pants. The scene was almost identical to what he had just witnessed earlier, only in this case his opponents were going to be boys. Boys about a year older than him. To a normal person that would be the time to start rethinking one's actions. For Naruto, it wasn't even a consideration. It just meant that he could actually fight them if things got out of hand.

Any planning on his part was cut short however, when the black haired boy took off, to taunts and jeers of "Hot blooded dropout!" and "Loser!". Naruto glared at the children, but ran after the boy.

Naruto finally caught up to the boy at one of the nearby training grounds. The boy was standing in the center near the training logs, kicking it fiercely. Naruto stepped into the training field.

"Hey, everything ok?" He asked.

The boy turned and looked at Naruto. His face was gloomy for a split second before it became an overpowering grin.

"I am just fine thank you!" The boy said. "What is your name, I don't believe we have met before."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Who're you?"

"My name is Rock Lee! It is a pleasure to meet you Uzumaki-san." Lee gave a slight bow.

"Just Naruto is fine, no need to be formal." Naruto said with a grin. His grin faded though, as he said "I heard what those kids were saying about you. You sure you're ok?"

Lee's face fell slightly. "What they were saying is true. I wish so strongly to be a great ninja, but I have no talent for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, and my Taijutsu isn't even that great."

Naruto looked slightly angry at that. "So what if you're not that great at Ninjutsu or Genjutsu? That doesn't give them any right to make fun of you! Besides, I'm sure even with just Taijutsu you can become an awesome ninja. You just need to work hard and believe in yourself!"

Lee looked up in surprise, before tears started forming in the corner's of his eyes. Pretty soon they leaked out, trailing down his face. He hid his face in his arm, and Naruto began to wonder if he said the wrong thing. Then, Lee's head suddenly shot up, and he held his arm out in front of him.

"You're right Naruto-kun! Even if I cannot use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, I will become a splendid shinobi! I will work hard on my Taijutsu and become a legendary ninja!" There was a fire burning in Lee's eyes now. He looked determined, and happy.

"That's the spirit! And if you ever want someone to train with, look me up! I need to get stronger to accomplish my dream too!" Naruto said, smiling at Lee.

"Oh? And what is your dream if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm gonna be Hokage some day! That way I can protect everyone in this village and everyone will respect me!"

"What a great dream Naruto-kun! You and I shall train hard and someday we will both accomplish our dreams!"

"All right! Together we'll be unstoppable!" Naruto said, the fire in his eyes now matching Lee's. The two stared at each other, and then began to laugh.

"Alright Lee, how about from now on, we meet at this training ground after the academy? Then we can train or hang out."

Lee smiled. Most kids either made fun of him for his thick eyebrows, or his poor ninja grades. It would be nice to have a friend willing to help him. "That sounds like an excellent idea Naruto-kun! Let's begin our training right now!"

Naruto smiled apprehensively. He hadn't meant right now, but Lee seemed really excited. He gave an inward sigh. _'I guess ramen can wait a couple hours…'_

The next day Naruto found himself struggling to stay awake during one of Iruka's lectures on chakra control. Not that he thought it was boring, okay so he did think it was boring, but that wasn't the reason. His training session with Lee yesterday had lasted 5 hours. Most of which was spent doing push ups or running laps. They had then spent the remaining hours sparring. Even after Naruto had gone home and gone to sleep (he was much too tired to even consider waiting three minutes for ramen) he still felt sore and exhausted. But he realized he liked the feeling. It was his body's ways of saying he was getting stronger.

"NARUTO!" Naruto shook out of his daze as he felt an eraser hit his head. He looked around confused as the class laughed at him. Iruka was glaring at him from the front of the class. "I asked you a question! Don't space off in the middle of an important lecture!"

Naruto laughed sheepishly, his hand behind his head as he grinned. "Sorry Iruka-sensei."

Iruka just sighed, and went back to explaining how chakra control was crucial to being able to master jutsus. Naruto tried to pay attention, but once again felt himself spacing out before he felt an elbow in his side. Clearing his head, he turned to see the black haired boy who was sitting next to him had done it. Naruto gave him a small smile, before focusing on Iruka's discussion.

"Alright class, now break up into groups of two and practice your chakra control using the exercise I just explained."

_'WHAT?! I DIDN'T HEAR ANY OF HIS EXPLANATION!'_ Naruto scream at himself mentally. It was bad enough when he had missed the explanation on the henge jutsu and turned himself into a comically deformed version of the Third Hokage. Iruka was gonna give him so much extra homework for this he'd might as well never leave school!

Sensing his distress, the boy next to him turned to face him. "Don't worry, we'll partner up and I'll help you go through the exercise. Since _I_ was actually listening." He added the last part with a smirk.

Naruto didn't know whether to be thankful or insulted, so he just gave a grin and said "Thanks."

The boy nodded, and the two stood up near their desks. He went over the exercise step by step with Naruto, before performing it himself flawlessly. Naruto grinned, and attempted the exercise himself, with less than stellar results. The boy next to him smiled a bit cockily, and gave him a couple tips.

By the end of the class, Naruto was at least decent at the exercise, but by no means had he mastered it like his partner.

Realizing the boy had helped him and he still didn't even know his name, Naruto caught him as class was ending. "Thanks a lot for helping me with that today _(Even if you were kind of a jerk about it)_. My name's Naruto Uzumaki!" He stuck his hand out and gave a grin. They boy smirked slightly.

"Sasuke Uchiha." He said, shaking Naruto's hand before heading out. Naruto smiled to himself, before running out of the classroom. After all, he had training to do! He could almost hear his body groan at the thought.

Time passed in much the same way for the young blonde. His days were always spent at the academy (or ditching, if he and his small group of friends found it too boring that day) where he'd normally get a little extra help from Sasuke, and his afternoons spent training with Lee. The two had become the best of friends during their time spent together, and were often seen in each other's company whenever they had free time. This was normally spent training of course, but on occasion they would make a stop at Ichiraku's Ramen to feast on Naruto's favorite food.

It was also during that same year that tragedy struck Konoha. In the span of one night, it's most prestigious clan was almost completely wiped out, leaving only two survivors. One was the person who had committed the atrocity, Itachi Uchiha. The other was his little brother Sasuke, who was spared for reasons unknown. After this happened, Sasuke was removed from the academy for a six month period, during which no one saw him.

When he did return, he was a different person. Arrogant and cold, he no longer associated himself with anyone from their class. Even when Naruto attempted to talk to him, he simply called him a dobe and left.

The next year more students dropped from the academy, coming to the determination (or their parent's determination at least) that the ninja life was not cut out for them. Luckily for Naruto, his friends were still all attending. So as he entered the classroom, he took a moment to scan the room to see who the new students were.

He didn't really recognize any of them. Though he was glad to see that a lot of the school's bullies seemed to have been removed. He looked around and finally took his normal seat next to the brooding Uchiha. Sasuke gave him an annoyed look before turning to face the front of the classroom. Naruto returned with an annoyed look of his own before facing away from him. He couldn't blame the guy for being upset, he just wished he was willing to let someone help him.

"Hey what are you doing sitting next to Sasuke-kun?!" Someone said. Naruto looked up, his eyes widening in surprise. It was the girl he'd helped on occasion from various bullies. Sakura. He was about to smile and say hello when he noticed the look she, and the blonde haired girl next to him were giving him. They looked upset for some reason.

"Ummm… I sat here last year, so I just figured…"

"Well you figured wrong buster! I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!" The blonde next to Sakura said.

"No you're not Ino-pig! I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said.

"Pffft, why would he want to sit by you Billboard Brow?"

Naruto looked on in confusion, before giving an incredulous look to Sasuke, who just shrugged. In that small gesture though, Naruto noticed that Sasuke was almost normal, like the days before when he'd helped the blonde with a harder technique or concept. It was enough to make Naruto smile slightly, before turning back to the two girls.

Two, did I say two? I mean the six or seven that were arguing with the original pair over who was going to get Naruto's seat next to their precious 'Sasuke-kun'.

The argument continued for a few minutes, and Naruto finally got fed up. He stood up, and grabbed Sakura's hand, pulling her into the chair he had been occupying, before sitting in the chair next to her. There was a gasp from the other girls, before they glared at him. He just gave a sheepish grin back.

"Hey, can I have my hand back?" Sakura asked, her eyebrow twitching. Naruto blushed and looked down, realizing he was still holding her hand. He quickly drew his hand back.

"Ah, sorry Sakura-chan!" He said, giving her a smile. She gave him a confused look _'That sounds so familiar'_, before turning to smile at Sasuke.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun!" She called out cheerfully, and was answered with an annoyed glare from Sasuke.

After class was over that day, Naruto once again made his way to the training ground him and Lee shared. _'Well, that was certainly an…interesting day.'_ It seemed that Sakura didn't even remember him from before. Not that he blamed her. They had technically only met once, he'd never revealed himself the other times he'd stopped her bullies, but still! It seemed her and the blonde girl _'I think she said her name was Ino'_ and practically every girl in there class had some type of infatuation with Sasuke. Lunch had been a particularly hectic time for the Uchiha, as girls were constantly chasing him down trying to eat with him.

Thinking about it, there was only one girl in their new class that wasn't 'Sasuke crazy' as Naruto put it. A quite girl with dark blue hair and white eyes. _'Good to know that not all girls are insane.'_ He thought to himself as he ran.

He finally came into the clearing and found Lee waiting for him. Lee seemed excited for some reason.

"NARUTO-KUN! I just met the most amazing person today! He is very kind and he told me that if I work hard enough I'll become a splendid ninja! He even showed me a few of his exercises to improve our strength and samina!"

Naruto stared at Lee. Over the last year he thought he had gotten used to the other boy's excitable nature. Today though Lee seemed to be exploding with energy. Naruto's stare quickly became a grin though, when he realized the boy had learned a new way for them to get stronger.

"Well what are we waiting for Lee? Let's get started!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Yosh! For a warm up we shall run 25 laps around Konoha!" With that said, Lee took off, leaving a dumbfounded Naruto behind.

_'Oi, did he say 25 laps around Konoha as a warm up?!'_

Not one to be left behind, Naruto quickly, though hesitantly, followed after his friend.

Five hours later, night had fallen, and Naruto was collapsed on the floor of his apartment, not having the strength to make it to his bed. He'd thought the first workout he and Lee had had been painful. Even though he normally had a lot of energy, this was just too much. 25 laps around the village then 500 pushups and sit ups before a two hour sparring session? _'I don't know anyone other than Lee who could've kept up with all that!'_ He thought to himself as he laid on the floor.

And even though he was tired and sore, he couldn't help but smile slightly to himself. It was only a matter of time until his dream came true. Soon he'd be Hokage, and be strong enough to protect everyone. His thoughts went to those people he wanted to protect as he fell asleep.

* * *

Author's Note: So pretty good for a first chapter I think. Hope you all enjoyed it :)

Now, just so everyone knows, this story will follow closely with cannon in the beginning, with some differences. I know it can be kind of annoying reading what you've already seen in the show, but I can assure you there will be differences to the way Naruto acts, and the way people react to him.

That being said, I haven't decided on any pairings yet, but I'm leaning towards Naruto/Harem, albeit a small one, probably only three of four of the girls. Any thoughts on that?

Please read and review!


	2. Dobe or Not?

"Spoken"

'_Thoughts'_

**Demonic/Inner persona spoken**

'_**Demonic/Inner Persona thoughts'**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Summary: As a young boy Naruto has a discussion with a ANBU member about what exactly it means to be Hokage. With a new determination, Naruto sets out to achieve his dream of not only becoming Hokage, but protecting the village and everyone in it. Not a Super Naruto, more like a smart Naruto.

Response to Reviewers:

First I'd just like to say thanks for the positive responses I've gotten so far, you guys are really great. I got like ten reviews the first day this was up, so I'm really happy! Thanks a bunch.

Covering the harem thing, it will most likely consist of Sakura, Ino, Tenten and Temari. As much as I'd like to put Hinata into it, I don't think it'd fit. As far as Anko/Kurenai/Hana/Tayuya/Kin etc go, the only one I could even see in it really is Hana. I might leave that up to vote at some point, but for now it'll be Sakura, Ino, TenTen, Temari.

Regarding Itachi, I do have plans for his character. Things have happened a little differently in my story. Suffice it to say that things are not going to be easy for the Hidden Leaf Village.

**Also, I'm currently looking for a beta reader for this story. If you think you're up to it, send me a message. I'd appreciate it.**

* * *

**Secrets In The Will Of Fire**

**Chapter 2**

The sun was shining brightly in the Hidden Leaf Village. The academy had been let out and students could be seen at various parks or training grounds, playing with friends or practicing their lessons for the day.

Iruka sighed. Grading the latest test he had given his students was not how he wanted to spend the sunny afternoon. Especially when it came down to the paper he was currently grading. That of Uzumaki Naruto's. Iruka really couldn't understand it. The boy had previously unheard of stamina for someone his age. His taijutsu, while somewhat clumsy, had improved vastly during his three years in the academy and was above most of the students. So why wouldn't he focus every once in a while to get his studies done? If he did, Iruka was sure he'd be on par, if not pass his best student, Uchiha Sasuke.

It made it worse for Iruka that he had watched Naruto carefully. At first it was because he, like most people, saw the demon fox when they looked at him. However, as he watched him, his opinion slowly changed. The boy had a depth of kindness that most humans didn't, let alone any demon. He'd seen the boy go out of his way to help others, defending them against bullies, making them laugh, or just trying to cheer people up. He felt that with that kind of character, Naruto could become one of the best shinobi he'd ever taught. If he would only focus.

Sighing once again, Iruka finished grading Naruto's (failed) test. He'd have to do something soon. At this rate, Naruto wouldn't even pass the ninjutsu part of the genin exam. He'd have to figure out a way to help his friendly blonde student.

Picking up the next test and looking it over, a small smile crept onto his face. He might have an idea on how to help Naruto out after all… of course, it'd have to wait until after he'd finished grading the rest of these tests.

The students in the class were chatting with each other for the few minutes before class would actually begin. The girls (minus one dark haired Hyuuga) were of course discussing the famous 'Sasuke-kun' and how eventually he would realize he couldn't live without them, and succumb to one of their charms. The boys were for the most part trying to ignore the sighs and giggles of the girls, as they discussed truly important matters. Like who would win in the next issue of Mega Ninja: Masks of Fury, or what kind of interesting bug Shino had brought with him that day.

Naruto, normally the noisiest of them all, was oddly quiet. Despite his best efforts over the previous year and a half, Sasuke still walked around in a perpetual gloom. He focused as much of his time as he could trying to get Sasuke to laugh, crack one of his cocky grins, or even just talk like he was actually still alive. Of course between making Sasuke human again, pulling pranks on bullies, and training with Lee he had very little time to actually study any of the things taught during Iruka's explanations. It probably also didn't help that he was skipping classes with Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba. And so he was almost positive that he had completely failed the test they'd taken yesterday on the uses of kawamiri jutsu.

He turned to look at the boy who sat one seat away from him. His hands were resting just in front of his mouth, as he stared blankly at the front of the classroom. It was like this every day. Sasuke would brood, Naruto would either try to make him laugh or pick a fight with him, then Sakura and the fangirls would show up to fight about the coveted seat next to Sasuke. Then Naruto would pull Sakura into the seat and dodge angry fangirls for the rest of the day.

"Hey Naruto, move over."

Naruto looked up slightly surprised. Sakura was standing there, arriving much earlier than she ever did.

Shaking himself from his slight shock, he stood up and moved, allowing Sakura to take the seat between him and Sasuke.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said as soon as she sat down. Sasuke answered with an annoyed "Hn." Before resuming his brooding.

Sakura gave a sigh, and turned to face Naruto. She was thankful for his presence, since it gave her someone to talk to while her mind worked on new ways of breaking through Sasuke's indifferent attitude.

"Hey Naruto, figured I'd come early today and spare you Ino's wrath." She said, giggling slightly.

Naruto gave a grin in return. "Heh, thanks Sakura-chan." He silently wondered why none of the other fangirls had tried something like that. Not that he was complaining. Aside from Ino and Sakura, the other fangirls were… well in Naruto's mind (and Sasuke's, though he'd never admit it) they were the most concentrated source of evil since the Kyuubi.

After a few minutes, the rest of the class finally came in. The Sasuke fangirls were outraged to find they had been beaten to the punch by one of their biggest rivals, but were quickly silenced by Iruka, who had come in with the rest of the class.

"Alright mina, I got your tests graded, so we'll pass those back before beginning today's instruction." Iruka said, going to each desk.

Naruto groaned. His test was of course a failure, but it was even worse than he had thought. At this rate, his grades might not even be good enough to allow him to continue to next year, when their class would take the genin exams.

Iruka began his rather simple lecture on the art of deflecting thrown weapons with a kunai. When the time for lunch finally came, he turned to his class with a smile.

"Alright, everyone can go to lunch, when we come back we'll start back in on our handseal practice. Oh, and Naruto and Sakura, I need to see you before you go to lunch."

This was a surprise. People were used to Naruto having to speak with Iruka the day after a test, but Sakura? She had the best grades in the class, did the brain of the academy finally fail a test? For obvious reasons, the fangirl clique found this to be a highly amusing idea.

Naruto walked up to Iruka's desk, Sakura following behind him nervously.

"What's up Sensei?" Naruto asked while giving Iruka a large grin.

"Don't 'what's up Sensei?' me Naruto. This is the fifth test you've failed so far, if you keep this up, I'm not going to be able to allow you to continue to next years classes."

Naruto looked down for a second, before smiling once again. "You're right Iruka-sensei! I need to start studying more."

"I'm glad you agree Naruto, that's what I wanted to talk to the two of you about." Iruka said, sitting down behind his desk. "Sakura, I was wondering if you'd consider tutoring Naruto from now on after class."

Sakura gave a inward sigh of relief. She wasn't in trouble. Far from it, it seemed like she was being asked a favor by her teacher.

**"Hah! Iruka-sensei himself realizes how smart I am!" **Inner Sakura cheered.

Sakura thought it over for a few moments. Naruto was kind of her friend. And she'd hate to see him fail. But it would also take time away from hanging out (stalking) with Sasuke-kun.

Naruto replied first. "Sensei, you can't ask that of Sakura! How can you expect her to waste her time tutoring me, that's just not fair."

"Naruto, your grades are dangerously low, and Sakura is our best student. I'm sure if anyone here can help you keep up, it'll be her."

Sakura smiled, both at Iruka's compliment and at the fact that Naruto was trying to give her an out. "It's alright Naruto," She said, coming to a decision by then, "I'd be happy to tutor you. We can't have our loudmouth ninja not become a genin now can we?"

Naruto smiled at her. In truth he was touched that she'd be willing to do something like this. He knew he shouldn't be so surprised though. He knew despite her sometimes obnoxious fan girl personality, deep down she was still the same sweet little girl he'd back then.

"Alright Sakura-chan, if you're sure, then I'd be happy for the help." He said, grinning widely at the pink haired girl.

Iruka smiled himself. "Great, glad to hear it. You're more than welcome to use this classroom and the academy training grounds, just make sure not to make a mess ok." The last part obviously directed at Naruto, who gave a sheepish grin before nodding. "Alright then, why don't you two go off to lunch then."

The two nodded, and headed out of the classroom. Once in the hallway, they spotted Ino, Sakura's best friend and rival. She was leaning against the wall, obviously waiting. She smirked when they finally came out.

"So Forehead, is it true that you actually failed a test?" Ino said. Not that she really believed it, but it was fun to push her best friend's buttons.

"Pfft, of course not Pig. Sensei was asking me to tutor Naruto after class from now on."

Ino looked at Naruto. "Ah, I'm sorry Naruto. Now you have to spend even more time with Sakura." She said, eyeing her friend mischeviously.

Naruto smiled, and shoo his head. "Not at all, I love spending time with Sakura-chan." He said, sincerity in his voice.

Sakura tried not to blush, but the grin that Ino gave her showed she wasn't succeeding. "Ugh, whatever. Let's just go have lunch!" She said, stomping away. Ino smiled, and stuck her tongue out at Naruto, before chasing after her friend. Leaving a very confused Naruto.

"So, now that you get to spend all this time with Naruto, are you going to ask him?" Ino asked as she took a bite of her onigiri.

Sakura looked at the rice ball in her hands. "I'm not sure. I mean, thinking back on it I'm almost sure it was him but…" She trailed off, not certain what it was she was trying to say.

Ino gave an annoyed sigh. "But what? If it was Naruto who helped you back then, the least you could do is tell him thank you." She said, before her eyes took on a dreamy look. "Just imagine, a young girl being picked on, before being saved by a mysterious boy, her knight in shining armor! Who then disappears only to come back into her life a year later. It's so romantic." At this Ino gave a slight squeal.

Sakura's eye twitched at her friend's imagination. "Baka, I don't like Naruto like that. I just… if it was him then I do want to say thank you, but I didn't treat him very well when we met again you know? To make matters worse, I'm pretty sure it was him every time the bullies got scared away. So what do I say now? 'Hey, thanks for helping me have a decent childhood by getting rid of the people who picked on me, sorry I treated you like crap the last six months?"

Sakura gave a depressed sigh, before taking a bite out of the rice ball. "At least now I can help him out, even just a little."

After class was over that day Naruto spent an hour with Sakura. They went over his kawamiri jutsu test, and she helped explain to him exactly what was wrong with his answers. By the time they were finished, Naruto felt confident enough in his knowledge of the kawamiri.

"Thanks a bunch Sakura-chan! I would've never understood half of that without you explaining it like you did." He said, beaming his grin at her.

Sakura just smiled in return. "It's no problem Naruto, I'm happy to help out."

He looked at the clock, before turning to face his new tutor. "Ne ne Sakura-chan, I have an hour before I'm supposed to meet Lee for training, you want to go get some ramen with me?"

Sakura looked at him, before she narrowed her eyes mischeviously. "You mean like a date?" She asked in a teasing tone.

Naruto blushed. "Ah… I uhm.. no I yes… I mean…" Naruto tried to stutter out an answer.

Deciding not to torture him any longer, she giggled at his display. "Sure Naruto, but you're paying got it!"

Naruto nodded, glad to be off the spot.

**"He's too easy"** Inner Sakura said.

She knew she'd never be able to forget the horror. How someone as small as Naruto could pack away that many bowls of ramen that fast… maybe he had a storage seal in his throat? She was still on her first bowl, while Naruto was currently working on his fourth.

For his part, Naruto was going on about his attempts to make Sasuke smile again between bites. Sakura had found herself surprised to know that Naruto and Sasuke had been something akin to friends before. It seemed that the loudmouth blonde had taken it as his personal mission to get the Uchiha prodigy out of his current brooding state.

"And then Akamaru bit Shikamaru's butt! The great thing was, you couldn't even hear him say something about it being troublesome with all the geese squawking." Naruto said, finishing his story of his latest practical joke aimed at getting Sasuke to smile.

Sakura laughed. It was something that came very easily when hanging out with Naruto she found. She'd probably laughed more in the two hours they'd spent in each other's company today then she had the entire month previous.

As Naruto went back to finishing off his bowl of ramen, she thought back to the conversation she and Ino had at lunch. _'Should I say something about it?'_

**"What are you being so hesitant for? Ask him already!" **Said a very impatient Inner Sakura.

"H-hey Naruto, can I ask you something?"

Naruto swallowed a mouthful of noodles before responding. "Sure Sakura-chan, what is it?"

Her hesitation grew, but she fought past it. "When you were younger… did you, save me from some bullies?"

Naruto face broke into a huge grin. "You remembered! Man, I thought after I saw you in class the first time that you had forgotten completely about it."

She frowned. "In all honesty, I did. Well kind of. I remembered someone dumping a trash can on them, and then running away with me. But I couldn't remember what their name was or what they looked like. It was actually Ino who said you looked a lot like the guy who saved me that day."

Naruto nodded. "I see. Hey old man, can I have-" His sentence was cut off when he felt something warm against his cheek. He turned with wide eyes to look at a madly blushing Sakura, who muttered a quick thank you and goodbye before dashing away from the curtains. Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku ramen, looked on in amusement as his favorite customer sat there with his mouth hanging open. It seemed as though his entire body had seized up from that one little action.

"So Naruto, you didn't tell me that girl was your.." He held up his pinky finger.

Naruto's mind decided that that was simply too much, before shutting down causing Naruto to faint.

Sakura ran all the way to her house, locking herself in her room when she finally got there. Looking in the mirror, she saw her face was doing an awfully good impression of a tomato. _'I can't believe I did that'_

**"Did you see the look on his face! That was adorable! Next time we should kiss him on the lips! I bet he'd faint if we did something like that!"** Inner Sakura said, not realizing how close to the truth she was.

Sakura shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. Naruto was a friend, and now that she was sure he had been the one to help her that time, he was definitely a good friend. But Sasuke was the only one she'd have _those_ kids of thoughts about.

Still, she couldn't get over how smooth his skin had felt. Her blush died down, and she giggled to herself, remembering the shell shocked look on his face. She found herself agreeing with her inner self. That look on his face was adorable.

Lee looked on in concern for his best friend. When Naruto had arrived at the training grounds, he'd seemed a little off. Now that they were sparring, Lee knew he was more than just a little off. It was like he wasn't even really there. His body just going through the motions while his mind was doing something else.

Finally getting bored of the one sided sparing, he held up his hand to signal a break. "Naruto-kun, are you sure everything is alright? You seem unfocused today. Are you sick?"

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear it of the fog that had descended upon his brain since the incident at the ramen stand. "No Lee, I just had something… surprising happen today that's all." Lee noticed Naruto's cheeks turn slightly red as he said that. "Come on, let's keep sparring, I've gotta even the score!" He said with a grin, letting Lee know that he was back to normal.

Lee nodded, before charging towards his friend. Naruto responded with a low sweeping kick, trying to take Lee's feet out. Lee jumped over Naruto's leg, and landed behind him, spinning to deliver a kick to his friend's back. Naruto however, ducked lower and continued with his sweeping motion, taking Lee's legs out from underneath him. Lee fell, but used his arms to propel himself right back up, landing gracefully before engaging Naruto in hand to hand. Lee's punches came furiously fast, with Naruto countering as best as he could. He knew even on his best days that he wouldn't be able to keep up with Lee in pure taijutsu. So taking a chance he let one of Lee's punches get through.

Lee's eyes widened in surprise as he broke through Naruto's guard, only to feel a sick crunch beneath his fist. He calmed down though, when he saw a log poof into place where his friend was only a moment before. Turning around, he jumped to the side to dodge three blunted shuriken. Lee smiled, while Naruto grinned back. They were both getting faster and stronger. And now, thanks to a little help from Sakura, Naruto had a new jutsu under his control. That thought brought forth the whole ramen incident once again, but he shook his head to clear it. He'd think about that later. For now, he had training with his best friend.

* * *

Author's Note: Whew, that was a fun little chapter. Got a bit of NaruSaku fluff in there just for fun. Wasn't intentional really, it just sort of happened as I wrote it.

Anyways, the next chapter will focus on Naruto's genin exam, as well as his placement on Team… well we'll just have to wait and see won't we? Anyways, please review and let me know what you think. Remember, if you read a chapter and don't review, Baby Jesus cries :)


	3. The End of the Third Year

"Spoken"

'_Thoughts'_

**Demonic/Inner persona spoken**

'_**Demonic/Inner Persona thoughts'**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Summary: As a young boy Naruto has a discussion with a ANBU member about what exactly it means to be Hokage. With a new determination, Naruto sets out to achieve his dream of not only becoming Hokage, but protecting the village and everyone in it. Not a Super Naruto, more like a smart Naruto.

Response to Reviewers:

YellowDemonFlash: Man, this is exactly why I need a beta reader I reread the story, but I can't find the parts you were talking about. If you could actually copy the line for me. But now that I've gone over it, I've seen a couple of other mistakes. Thanks a bunch, I appreciate you pointing that out to me :)

Encyser: Heh, thanks man. Can't believe I did that. And of course, since I added it to my dictionary, it changed it every time this is proof that I need to take more Japanese next year! Fixed it now though, thanks a bunch!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it.

**Also, I'm currently looking for a beta reader for this story. If you think you're up to it, send me a message. I'd appreciate it.**

**Secrets In The Will Of Fire**

**Chapter 3**

The end of his third year at the academy was approached by Naruto with a sense of dread. Not because of the every trying final exam. His tutoring by Sakura had produced exceptional results, and while he knew he'd never be an academic champion, he'd still pass if he focused.

No, the end of the year was depressing because soon he'd be loosing his training partner. Lee would be graduating, and while the two swore they'd still be friends, they knew their time training together had come to an end. Lee would soon be too busy with missions and team training. Not that Naruto begrudged him that (or knew what the word begrudged meant). Honestly, he was really happy that his friend would begin the path that would lead to his dream.

The problem was that his training with Lee had also been an escape for him. He would spend his time improving with his friend, enjoying the company, and avoid the hateful attitude of the village at the same time. Luckily, he still had a couple of months until the end of the academic year. He'd just have to enjoy the remaining time he had left.

'At least I'll still be able to study with Sakura-chan after class' He mused.

His pink haired friend (yes, he could safely say she was his friend now) was a source of confusion for the young boy. They'd spend hours either studying, or just making small talk. But the moment Ino or Sasuke entered the picture, it was almost like Sakura would become two different people. She'd go from helping Naruto to knocking him to the floor over something he said, and then would apologize, and help him to his feet. He couldn't help but sometimes wonder if there was anything wrong with his friend.

Another source of female confusion for him came in the form of one Hinata Hyuuga. The girl had been in the same class as him since he'd entered the academy, but they'd never really spoken to each other. As a matter of fact, the few times they'd been sparring partners in class, the girl had promptly fainted when Naruto wished her "good luck".

Despite their lack of interaction in class however, Naruto couldn't even count the number of times he'd seen her around town. At Ichiraku's, around his apartment, even near the Hokage's Tower or his and Lee's training spot. Of course, every time she'd noticed that he'd seen her, her face would turn red and she'd faint again. He'd carried her home because of that at least seventeen times so far. Her father, who although a bit stuck up always treated Naruto with respect, would view these occurrences with a strange mix of humor and disgust.

At least the third girl he was familiar with had the decency to be predictable. Ino was always easy to understand. She had a crush on Sasuke, she called Sakura forehead girl, and was the only other person as class as loud as him or Kiba.

"Alright class that's it for today. Remember, next week we'll be having a practical exam on your taijutsu. Also, it's only a month until the final exam, so don't slack off on your studies." Iruka gathered his own belongings after dismissing the class for the day. He watched as all but two students filed out, leaving Naruto and Sakura. Iruka smiled, and nodded at the pair before heading out himself.

"So Naruto, what did you want to go over today?"

Naruto shrugged. "I think I got most of today's lecture. I still need to work on the Henge, but I can do that on my own. Actually, I was going to ask you if you'd like help for once… on your taijutsu."

Sakura thought about it for a moment. While she was academically at the top of the class, her taijutsu was subparts at best. Still…

"But Naruto, you almost failed last years taijutsu exam remember? If you want to practice we should probably find a better trainer."

Naruto grinned. "Hey, I've improved a lot since then. I bet my taijutsu is better than anyone's in the class!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at the statement. It was so typically Naruto. "Your taijutsu probably doesn't even come close to Sasuke-kun's." The probably was a true testament to their friendship. A year ago it would've been replaced by a 'definitely'.

Naruto's grin grew even wider at that. "Oh yeah? Wanna make a bet on it?"

Sakura found herself matching his grin. "Fine then. If you don't beat Sasuke-kun during our Taijutsu exam, then you have to… to… to wear one of Ino's IheartSasuke shirts around for a week!"

The blonde shinobi-in-training grimaced. Ino had made the laciest purple shirt possible, and printed IheartSasuke in big pink letters on the front, while the back had a close up picture of Sasuke's face. The shirt had been voted unanimously (by Naruto and Kiba) to be the most horrific piece of clothing to ever be spawned from the pits of hell.

"Fine then" He said finally, "But if I beat Sasuke…" He had to stop and think. What would be as humiliating as wearing one of Ino's evil-incarnate shirts without being too mean? "Then you have to henge to look like you're wearing one of those shirts, only it has to say IheartNaruto and has to be orange!"

Sakura blushed slightly and laughed. "Fine, it's not like you're going to beat Sasuke anyways."

Naruto's grin was back on his face. "We'll see Sakura-chan. Now, how about we practice and work on your taijutsu?"

* * *

Sakura felt more than slightly nervous the day of the taijutsu exam. Not because she wasn't ready. On the contrary. Naruto's pointers and advice had increased her confidence in her own taijutsu skill to where she felt like it was adequate. She hadn't realized he'd improved that much. If she had, she might've given making that bet a second thought. She still wasn't sure if he'd be able to beat Sasuke, but now she wasn't sure he wouldn't either.

"Alright class, everyone partner up and take one of the rings in the field. The instructors and I will be watching and grading your performances. Remember, this is a taijutsu exam, so no ninjutsu or genjutsu. I don't think I should have to say it, but no killing your opponent. Everyone understand?" Iruka looked out on the class, who gave various nods or answers of "Hai sensei!"

The students began breaking up into pairs. Sakura stood across from her sometimes best friend and rival Ino. Ino looked at her pink haired opponent and smirked.

"Nervous forehead girl?" She taunted, assuming her friend/rival was nervous about the exam.

Sakura glared back at Ino. "You wish Ino-pig." She shifted into the standard academy taijutsu stance, and waited for the call to begin. As she waited, she cast a glance around the field. Sure enough, Naruto had partnered up with Sasuke. He had his big 'I can take on the world' smile on his face, and Sasuke was… Sasuke was smirking?

Ino followed Sakura's line of sight and gaped. It wasn't unusual for Naruto to fight Sasuke. He was the only person in the class who would actually voluntarily fight the prodigy. But she'd never seen Sasuke with anything but a scowl on his face.

On their side of the field, Naruto and Sasuke were impatiently waiting for the call to begin.

"So you're serious? You're really going to wear that shirt when you lose?" Sasuke asked, referring to the wager his not-friend told him he'd made with Sakura.

"Of course! But I'm not going to lose!" Naruto replied cockily. Sasuke had to fight down a chuckle at Naruto's exuberance. And the thought of him wearing one of Ino's shirts of evil. Of course, his mirth was short lived as thoughts of his brother once again intruded his mind. His scowl returned full force, remembering that night. He didn't have time for amusement or friends. He needed to get stronger so that he could seek out his brother… and then...

"HAJIME!" The call to begin snapped Sasuke out of his thoughts just in time to dodge away from a punch thrown by Naruto. 'When did he get so fast?' He thought, rolling to the side to avoid a kick.

He grabbed one of Naruto's arms and threw him to the side, taking a moment to orient himself. Naruto rolled to his feet and sprang back at him. Used to his surprising speed now, Sasuke was ready for him. Knocking his punch to the side Sasuke swung his leg up towards his chest. Naruto crouched beneath it, and kicked out at Sasuke's leg, trying to sweep it out from underneath him. Sasuke fell, but caught himself, using his hands to brace himself and then springing back up. He brought his foot down attempting to hit Naruto in the head with his heel. Naruto jumped to the side, barely dodging the kick. But as he did, Sasuke pivoted, kicking Naruto in the side. Naruto rolled a few feet away, and stood to face Sasuke. Both were wearing identical expressions on their faces. Excitement, enjoyment, and a want to beat the other. The brief peace was broken as the two leapt at each other again, entering into a furious set of attacks and counters.

Iruka stared at the fight in disbelief. He didn't trust the other instructors to grade Naruto fairly, so he always took the job himself. Now, he was witnessing his top student, and the former dead last, fight with speed and skill that was far above an average academy student. He was so amazed that he didn't even realize that the other students had finished, and that everyone was now gathered around Sasuke and Naruto's fight.

"Go Sasuke-kun! Annihilate that twerp!" Some girl from the class shouted.

"Come on Naruto! Show that arrogant bastard whose boss!" This came from Kiba, one of Naruto's occasional friends.

The fight lasted another ten minutes. Sasuke was able to get more hits in, but thanks to Naruto's incredible stamina they were about even. They stood for a moment, staring at each other and breathing heavily. They were both covered in dirt, with multiple bruises and scratches. Yet they were still smiling despite their fatigue. Then, at some unseen signal, they sped towards each other. Arms drawn back to deliver what they both knew would be their final attack. They met in the center of the ring, and threw their punches. Everyone stood silent, as time seemed to slow around the two fighters. Their fists flew towards the other's head. The silence was broken by a loud crack, before the class broke into excited pandemonium for the end of the fight.

The next day the class could not stop laughing, much to Sakura's chagrin. Not that she could blame them. If the circumstances had been just a little different, she would be laughing right along with them.

Naruto sat in his usual seat next to Sakura. He was wearing the frilliest, purplest, most girly and evil article of clothing he had ever seen in his life. Yet he still had that grin on his face.

The fight had been close, coming down simply to the fact that Sasuke's longer reach got Naruto before his own punch was delivered. Iruka had awarded both of them full marks on the exam, saying it was one of the most impressive examples of taijutsu he'd ever seen from academy students. The class was just surprised that someone had come so close to beating Sasuke. Sasuke even came up to him and said "Good spar dobe."

Sakura almost felt bad about making Naruto wear the shirt, but he just laughed when Ino handed it to him.

"Heh, I might've lost this time, but next time I'll beat Sasuke for sure!" This time only the die-hard Sasuke fan girls scoffed at his declaration. Surprisingly, this didn't include Sakura or Ino.

* * *

A month and a half passed since Naruto came to school wearing the purple monstrosity. This year's final was less than two weeks away, and Naruto was starting to feel nervous about his chances of passing.

Sakura, his friend and tutor, had come down with a bad case of the flu. She'd been gone for the past week, a time when Naruto could've seriously used her help. Iruka's lessons on chakra control and it's application in everything from jutsus to increasing their physical capabilities made absolutely no sense to him. He couldn't even remember the name of the "holes" on the body that could expel chakra. Worst of all, Iruka made it very clear that a big portion of the final would be over chakra control, as it was a staple to a ninja's daily life.

Naruto had no doubt Sakura would catch up on the information when she came back, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't have the time to help him catch up too.

When the class was finally dismissed for the day, Naruto stood up and headed for the door. He was planning on bringing Sakura some soup today. Sure, she said she didn't like ramen as much as he did, but he still swore that it had to have some type of miracle healing qualities. How else could you explain how he never got sick? However, as he stood to leave, he was stopped by a voice calling out.

"Hey runt, stay where you are!" He turned to see Ino glaring at him. He gave her a perplexed look as she walked over to his desk.

"Alright. Sakura asked me to try and help you with this chakra control stuff while she's sick. I'd rather not, but I owe her a couple of favors so…" Ino just shrugged as though to say 'What can you do?'

Naruto smiled at the fellow blonde. "Thanks Ino, I appreciate it, but you don't have to. I'm sure you've got more important things to do."

Ino nodded. "Sakura said you'd say something like that, and told me to tell you" Ino changed the pitch of her voice, doing her best impression of Sakura, which wasn't very good. "Naruto you better accept this gorgeous flower's (i.e. called her a pig) help. I'm not going to have you fail just because I got sick!"

Naruto smiled. "Heh, okay then. I'd appreciate anything you could help me with Ino."

"Alright then, what don't you understand about the chakra control lessons?" She asked.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Just about… all of it."

Ino face faulted. She just knew this was going to be, in Shikamaru's words, troublesome.

A few hours later, they had made some progress. He now understood the concept behind the beginnings of the chakra control lessons, even if he could perform them himself. Not for lack of trying. He and Ino had spent the better part of the past hour trying to get the exercise down for him, with varying results.

Naruto finally sighed, sitting back down. Hey, Ino-chan, I think we should call it quits for today. It's getting pretty late, and I think we've gotten enough done."

He waited for a moment for a response, before turning to look at his replacement tutor. She was leaning forward on the desk, her head lying on her arms. She had a peaceful smile on her face, obviously enjoying whatever she was dreaming.

He smiled to himself. It was cute to see her like that. She was normally so noisy and bossy, it was refreshing to see her peaceful.

Not wanting to break the tranquil atmosphere, he lifted Ino out of her chair, carrying her in his arms. Ino mumbled something incoherent, before nuzzling into Naruto's chest. He fought down a blush, and headed out of the classroom.

He leapt across the rooftops as gently as such an act could allow. He didn't want to take the streets in case one of the villagers decided to accost him. He figured he was doing a good enough job as Ino didn't stir. He finally landed in front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, and walked inside.

"Hey, anyone here?" He asked in a voice just barely above a whisper.

"Oh, sorry, I was in the back. How can I help yo…?" The blonde haired man who had appeared from the back door was looking between Naruto and the sleeping girl in his arms. "Umm… Excuse me, but why are you carrying my daughter?"

Naruto gave an inward sigh of relief. It looked like this man either didn't know who he was (which was rather doubtful, as his whisker like birthmarks and orange clothing made it pretty clear) or didn't hate him for his mere existence. He hoped it was the latter, but would place his bet on the former.

"Sorry. She was tutoring me after class, and I think she used up a bit too much chakra or something cause she fell asleep. So I figured I should bring her home."

The man smiled. "Ah, I see. Thank you very much, I'm sure my daughter would appreciate it. I'm Inoichi by the way."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto introduced himself, hoping it wouldn't change the man's friendly attitude.

The man smiled, taking Ino from Naruto. "She seemed to be snuggled pretty close to you Naruto-kun. Tell me, is my daughter you…" He held up his pinky finger. Naruto noticed the man had a mischievous glint in his eye, but behind it was something dangerous. Natural fatherly overprotective tendencies. Not that Naruto recognized it as such.

He shook his head while waving his arms in front of him wildly. "No no no no no sir! We're just classmates!"

"Oh? You carried her over three miles home without waking her because she's your classmate?" He was genuinely amused now by the boy's flustered attitude.

Naruto's face set in determination. "Of course! I'm going to be Hokage someday, so I have to protect and take care of everyone! I would've helped Ino-chan home even if she was a complete stranger!"

Inoichi's raised an eyebrow, more from the honorific the boy had used with his daughter's name than the declaration of becoming the most powerful ninja in the village.

"Is that so? Well with that kind of attitude you'll make a great Hokage some day. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put my daughter in her bed. It was nice to meet you Naruto-kun, and thank you for doing such a nice thing for my daughter."

Naruto nodded and waved goodbye as he turned to leave the store. "No problem. And tell Ino-chan I said thanks for the help. Later!" With that he walked out and jumped up to the rooftops. He still had training with Lee after all.

Ino awoke a few hours later feeling strangely displaced. It was strange because she recognized her bed and her room, but it felt like she shouldn't be there. The last thing she remembered was watching Naruto try to get the hang of a chakra control lesson.

"So how did I get back home?" She said to herself.

"That Uzumaki kid carried you here." She turned to see her father standing in the doorway.

"Naruto did?" Ino asked in surprise.

Inoichi nodded. "Sure did. So, why didn't you tell me the two of you were dating?"

Ino's mouth dropped, before she shot out of bed, her face coloring an angry red.

"WHA?! US? Did he say… I don't even like him like that! Oh when I get my hands on that runt I'll…" She broke off her plotting of Naruto's slow and painful death when she recognized the sound of her father's laughter. He was learning against the doorway, miming wiping tears from his eye.

"Sorry honey, I couldn't resist. Naruto didn't tell me you were dating. I just figured I should tease you since I teased him about it after he brought you here.

Ino calmed down and groaned. It was just like her father to… "Wait... you teased Naruto about the two of us dating?!" She shouted in embarrassment.

Inoichi nodded his head, as though nothing was wrong and his daughter would not be having to embarrassedly avoid Naruto for weeks on end because of this. "Sure did, now come on Ino. Dinner is almost ready." With that he turned and left the room, leaving a fuming and mortally embarrassed Ino behind.

* * *

By the next week Sakura was back and life continued as normal, with the exception of Ino making it a point to go nowhere near Naruto, which incidentally meant nowhere near Sasuke. The finals were drawing ever closer, but thanks to the help he'd received from Ino and Sakura, he was confident he'd pass. Today Lee would be taking his Genin Exam. Naruto would be taking his final the next day at the same time Lee would be meeting with his Jounin sensei. Afterwards, the two had agreed to meet up for one final training session together, before Lee began his busy life as a genin of Konoha.

When the class was released for the day Naruto rushed out to find his friend. Lee was sitting in the hallway, a smile on his face and a Konoha hitai-ate on his forehead.

Naruto gave a whoop of joy and smacked Lee on the back. "Awesome! You passed congratulations Lee!"

Lee's smile grew even wider. "Many thanks my friend. It was hard, but with our training, I was able to pass!"

Naruto nodded. He felt so happy for his friend it was like his head was going to burst. "Come on Lee! Let's go get some ramen to celebrate, my treat!"

The next day passed in a blur for Naruto. His exam was over and done with before he could blink. He passed, with a score just below Ino, right above the average score. Sakura of course, passed with a perfect score, much to Ino's dismay.

"Ah ha! I win Piggy, that means you have to pay for our trip to the hot springs today!" Sakura said.

Ino sighed. "Fine fine forehead girl. I don't know why I made that stupid bet with you in the first place."

Her friend shrugged the comment off. "You should've known better. Even if I missed a week of class, I'm still smarter than you." She said, sticking her tongue out.

Naruto watched on in amusement as the friends started bickering. It was an everyday occurrence, but it was still funny to him.

He shrugged it off and headed out of the classroom. Once outside he began sprinting towards the training ground Lee and he had said they'd meet up for their final training session, jumping up to travel along the rooftops when the streets got too crowded.

Lee was waiting for him, a smile on his face even bigger than when he had been given his hitai-ate.

"Naruto my friend! You will never guess the amazing news I have. My Jounin Sensei is none other than Gai Maito! The man who I met at the training grounds that one day."

Naruto smiled. "That's great Lee! Just his suggestions improved our training, so I'll bet you'll get way stronger with him actually training you!"

His friend nodded in eager agreement. "I hope so! I can't wait to see what training he has in store! Just thinking about it makes burn with the passion of youth!"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at this. "Ummm… does that hurt or something?"

Lee laughed, assuming Naruto was trying to be funny. Then his face took on a semiserious expression. "Alright Naruto. Are you ready to see just how much we've improved since we met?"

A grin broke out on Naruto's face. "You betcha! And remember, whoever loses has to pay the other's tab at Ichiraku!"

Lee gulped. While he ate quite a bit of ramen, it was nowhere near the amount that Naruto consumed. His tab would not be cheap. "Alright. The rules are Taijutsu only. The first person to be incapacitated loses, and pays the other's tab. Anything else?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope, that sounds good enough to me. Let's get started!"

They took up position at opposite ends of the training ground, obviously eager to test their skills.

"Ready?" Naruto called out. Lee nodded.

"1…" Lee began the countdown.

"2…" Naruto's face held a smirk that would not have looked out of place on the face of a certain Uchiha.

"3!" The two shouted as they ran towards the other. Lee was faster and surprised Naruto with a jump kick to his chest. Naruto went flying towards a tree, but used his momentum to flip around and rebound off. He flew at Lee, attempting to land a punch. Lee dodged to the side, and rammed his knee into Naruto and ending his flight. Naruto jumped back to his feet and started a barrage of punches, getting a few good hits in on Lee.

Lee jumped back as Naruto tried to kick him. He ran forward, ramming into Naruto who was still open from the kick. Naruto gave a grunt and grabbed onto one of Lee's arms, throwing him over his shoulder and into the tree that he had bounced from earlier.

Lee stood up, and the two stared at each other for a moment, before rushing forward. Punches and kicks flew as fast as they could throw them. Lee's speed was definitely being used to its fullest potential, as he would block and counter faster then Naruto could block. Naruto's strength however, made his punches just a bit harder. After a few minutes of this the two broke away from each other, gasping for breath.

"You're strength has improved greatly Naruto." Lee said between breaths.

"Yeah… well you're almost too fast for me to hit." Naruto replied, smiling at his friend.

The two stood there regaining their breath for a few seconds. Then without another word they immediately launched themselves into another attack. Lee attempted to grab Naruto, who ducked under his reach. Naruto kicked up at Lee's chest, sending him slightly into the air. Naruto ran towards the tree and launched himself off it, heading straight for Lee who was just starting to land back on his feet. Lee's hand shot out just in time and grabbed onto Naruto's leg, spinning around in place. Lee realized he had an opportunity to end the battle, and so using the force of Naruto's jump, spun faster and faster, holding onto Naruto's leg.

"LEEEEEEE! CUT IT OUT! I'M GETTING DIZZY!" Naruto said, not quite sure which direction was up anymore.

Lee smiled. "Sure thing Naruto!" He said, letting go of Naruto's leg. The blonde haired ninja in training went flying high above the tree tops. Lee stared for a few moments at the spot where he last saw his friend before his flight took him out of his view. "Uh oh… perhaps I was a little overzealous in that last attack? Wait for me Naruto!" Lee called out as he ran towards the direction Naruto went flying.

As Naruto went sailing over the village of Konoha, he took time to think. Mainly about ramen. He kind of wondered exactly when he would land, but it was mostly ramen. After all, a fall from this height would surely knock him out, if not kill him. So he figured he should get to the ramen thoughts while he still had time.

"Aho!" He turned to his left and saw a crow flying by. He shrugged. "Man, Lee really overdid it this time. This fall alone might kill me!" He said to no one in particular, since there was no one else flying through the air near him.

After a few more moments, he finally felt himself slow down and begin to descend. _'Oi, this is going to hurt.'_ He closed his eyes, and awaited the impact. Instead, he heard a splash, followed by what sounded like a scream, and was submerged in warm water. Of course, not having taken a breath before his impromptu dive, he was lacking in oxygen. He swam quickly up to the surface, panting for air when he reached it.

"Geez, remind me to never do that again." He said, floating as he got his breath back.

"Naruto? What the heck just happened?! Are you alright?" He heard the familiar voice of his pink haired friend. He turned around smiling, but his face quickly turned to one of shock.

Standing behind him in nothing but a towel was Sakura, Ino, and even Hinata. He stared for a few moments, his mouth opening and closing but failing to make words. Sakura gave him a strange look, before realizing exactly what he was looking at. The look immediately turned to one that promised pain for any male in the vicinity.

"NA-RU-TO!" She said, her face turning red. The tone in her voice knocking Naruto out of his daze. She took a step toward him, cracking her knuckles as she prepared to use Naruto as her personal punching bag.

"W-wait Sakura-chan! It was an accident I swear! Lee threw me through the air and I landed here! I didn't see anything!" He said, waving his arms around as he backed away from the girl who was actually seething killer intent.

That's when things went from bad to worse, with the arrival of Lee.

"Ah! There you are Naruto!" Lee's voice came from beyond the fence. With a leap he was over it, smiling at his friend. "I was afraid you might've gotten seriously hurt, but it seems that you're…" Lee drifted off as he took notice of the three red faced girls, two of which looked like they were about to start using every kinjutsu known to man (and probably a few that weren't). Lee didn't get a chance to react to this, as he rocketed back into the fence from what could only be described as the worst bloody nose ever.

Naruto looked at his unconscious friend, and then back at the girls in front of him. Ino had joined Sakura now, and they both drew back their fists.

After leaving the hospital, Naruto and Lee headed towards Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto couldn't really remember much of what happened after Lee fainted, but when he woke up he was in the hospital, with nothing more than a few scratches. Lee on the other hand, suffered from a few broken ribs, and a black eye, as well as minor blood loss.

Naruto didn't focus on that however. What happened to Lee had given him an idea. An idea so potentially powerful that even thinking about it made him antsy. He'd have to try it out, but not until the time was right. After all, a ninja can't give away all his secrets now can he?

"So, I guess the match ended in a draw huh?" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Lee grinned in response. "I guess so. But we should still celebrate with some ramen! It will be my treat, since I did cause the incident and all." Naruto jumped up in excitement. Ignoring the strange looks he was receiving from those passing by, he grabbed Lee by the arm and sped down the road to Ichiraku.

* * *

As the beginning of the new academy year approached, Naruto began to feel woefully unprepared. He hadn't had any taijutsu practice since the hot spring incident. And while he had mastered his new secret move after some research, it still didn't make him feel like he was going to be ready for the last and supposedly toughest year of his ninja studies. He knew that Sakura would help him with the academic part, but what was he going to do without a training partner.

He had even grown desperate enough to ask Sasuke if he'd be willing to spar with him on occasion. Sasuke, being his normal bright and cheery self, said he had better things to do before walking off.

So here he was at his normal training grounds, with nothing to do. He'd already practiced his forms, and he had done a bit of shadow boxing, but without an opponent he knew he'd never really improve.

Fortunately, his ninja skills had not dulled with the absence of taijutsu training. He easily picked up the sound of someone walking towards the training grounds. He assumed they weren't trying to hide their presence, given the crunching of leaves he could hear.

He turned as he heard a gasp, and found himself looking at a distressed looking Hinata Hyuuga.

Naruto was about to give her a normal overly excited greeting, when he saw the look on her face and how red her eyes were. "Hinata, is something wrong?" He asked.

Hinata's mind immediately went blank. She hadn't even been paying attention to where she was going. And to be here, alone with Naruto of all people!

Finally shaking herself out of her daze, she managed a small smile. "I-it's nothing Naruto-kun, I'm fine."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought. "Are you sure, it looks like you've been crying. If there's something wrong, you can tell me Hinata."

Hinata looked at the ground for a few moments. Without looking up, she began telling him what had happened. "I was training with my Father today, to help me prepare for the last year at the academy. While we were training, I tripped and fell down. My father called me weak and told me he had no time to waste on a worthless girl like me." She could feel herself tearing up as his harsh words replayed themselves through her head, but struggled to keep from crying. She couldn't let Naruto think she was weak too, she didn't know what she'd do if that ever happened.

She was saved from the thinking about it when she heard a growling sound. She looked up and saw something she'd never seen before, a very angry Naruto. He was actually growling, and from where she was standing, his eyes almost looked red.

"That bastard! I'm gonna go kick his ass for talking to you like that!" Naruto said, getting ready to jump out of the clearing.

Hinata gasped. No one had ever called her father a bastard, especially not due to the way he treated his eldest child. "N-Naruto-kun, you can't! My father is very strong and he's the head of our clan. There's no way you could… I mean he... you…" She began to stammer off, fidgeting with her fingers.

Naruto calmed down a little from the display. Although he didn't want to admit it, Hinata's unspoken words were true and he knew it. After all, if Hokage was the best ninja in the village, then a clan head must be the best ninja of the clan right? At least that was his thoughts on the matter. If only he were stronger…

And that's when it hit him.

"Hinata! I've got an idea. What if you trained with me from now on after class?" He asked. "My last training partner graduated last year, so he's too busy with missions to be able to train. This way we can both get stronger together! And then we'll make your dad eat his words!" It was obviously a foolproof plan. In his own mind, Naruto could already see him and Hinata standing over her father's beaten form, victorious grins on their faces.

Hinata felt as though time stopped. Naruto was asking her to train with him? She'd see him every day? It was almost like a dream come true!

"B-but Naruto-kun, I don't want to hold you back…" Hinata could just see herself messing up during training, and the disappointed look that would be in Naruto's eyes just like her father's. The very thought was making her feel empty inside.

Naruto noticed the look on her face, and walked up to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and looked directly in her eyes, not even noticing the blush that suddenly crossed her face with his close proximity.

"Hinata. There's no way you'd hold me back. I bet with you training me I'll become a better ninja in no time. We both will! I believe in you."

And there it was. He believed she could help him, that together they could both become great ninjas. She smiled a real smile this time. She wasn't even blushing anymore, even though her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst through her chest.

"Alright Naruto-kun, I'd be happy to train with you." She said, without the trace of a stutter.

* * *

A/N: Geez, I'm so sorry guys. This chapter just kept giving me trouble, but I finally got it done. Well, not really. This chapter was originally going to include Naruto's last year at the academy, and his graduation exam. But honestly that probably would've taken me at least another week to write. So, it'll have to wait till next chapter.

Anyways, thanks for the reviews and everything. I'm glad so many people are enjoying this story, cause I'm having fun writing it.

And just to answer some concerns I've gotten from reviewers, Yes Naruto will learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu. So no worries there.

Oh, and I'm sure you noticed the whole Hinata thing at the end. Yes, I have changed my mind and decided to include her in the harem. I just like her too much. Of course, this could change with the story, but we'll just have to wait and see now won't we.

So as always, thanks for reading, and please review to let me know what you think!


	4. The Final Exam

"Spoken"

"Spoken"

'_Thoughts'_

**Demonic/Inner persona spoken**

'_**Demonic/Inner Persona thoughts'**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Summary: As a young boy Naruto has a discussion with a ANBU member about what exactly it means to be Hokage. With a new determination, Naruto sets out to achieve his dream of not only becoming Hokage, but protecting the village and everyone in it. Not a Super Naruto, more like a smart Naruto.

Response to Reviewers:

Ninja-freak13: Heh, thanks man. Just so you know you're review really got me jump started on this chapter. Obviously, I couldn't let you die… and calling me probably wouldn't have worked with my hectic schedule

Show.me.the.stars: The NaruHina thing isn't an absolute yet. Like I said, I'm gonna just see where the story goes. I'm definitely leaning towards including her, but we'll see.

YellowDemonFlash: YOSH! You are right my friend, if this chapter doesn't have twice the action of the last, I shall write 300 Harry Potter fanfics using only my pinky fingers to type! As far as the beta thing goes, send me a private message with your email and you're hired! :)

Thanks again for the reviews, reviews are awesome! :)

**Also, I'm currently looking for a beta reader for this story. If you think you're up to it, send me a message. I'd appreciate it.**

A/N: Man, The manga is getting crazy huh? And you know what really sucks? I was going to use that whole reveal about the Kyuubi in my story. DAMN YOU KISHIMOTO! Quit reading my mind! Okay, back to the story now.

**Secrets in the Will of Fire**

**Chapter 4**

Here it was at last, the final year of the academy. The final exam was only a couple months away. After this the aspiring young ninjas would become genin, and take their first real step into the world of shinobi. And Naruto was ready to take that step. At least, he thought he was. His studying with Sakura kept his skills up to par, and his training with Lee and then Hinata had kept him physically fit and gave him a practical way to use his skills.

Hinata for her part had really surprised him. He always knew she was decent a decent student, but he never really interacted with her much. She seemed really nervous around him for some reason. But after a couple of weeks, she seemed to become more comfortable with him. And it showed in the way she fought. Her movements were graceful, precise and quick. It almost seemed to be the perfect counter for his almost brawling type tactics. This in turn caused him to improve, his strikes becoming quicker and wasting less movement. It almost made him laugh when he thought back to when she said she might hold him back. He wasn't too proud to admit that her taijutsu was better than his, but he was catching up. His training with Lee had given him speed and strength, while his training with Hinata was giving him skill and finesse.

So he felt confident that when the end of the year approached, he'd be one of the students walking out of the academy proudly wearing a leaf headband. How could he fail after all?

He stood panting for breath as he stared across the training ground at Hinata. They were in yet another sparring session, and both the ninjas-to-be seemed winded.

"Hey Hinata, why don't we call it quits for today? It's getting kind of late." Naruto said. Personally, he could have gone on for a while longer yet, but Hinata looked like she was on her last legs. She would never say it of course. Their first training sessions had almost ended disastrously when near the end Hinata collapsed from exhaustion. After that Naruto had told her to tell him when she was getting tired, but the Hyuuga still seemed intent on pushing herself.

"Are you s-sure Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah. I'm getting kind of hungry anyways." He smiled, picking up his orange jacket which he had discarded earlier. "Hey I know. You want to get some ramen with me Hinata? We never really do anything together except train."

'_Naruto-kun wants to get food with me? Like a date?!'_ Hinata thought, her face turning red at the thought. Before Naruto even knew what happened, Hinata had fainted.

"Hinata?" Naruto said, walking over to his friend. She seemed okay. "Silly girl, you pushed yourself too hard again." He said with a sigh. He bent over and picked her up, carrying her bridal style.

'_Hmmmm… now that I think about it, I don't really know where Hinata lives… what should I do?'_ He shrugged. He didn't have many options. He could ask around but… the thought of what some of the villagers might do if they found him with an unconscious Hinata in his arms quickly squashed that line of thinking.

"NARUTO MY FRIEND!" And enthusiastic voice called out. Naruto turned and was very narrowly able to avoid be run down by the one and only Rock Lee. He turned with and looked at his friend with an exasperated expression on his face.

"Lee! Watch where you're going! You almost hit me." Naruto said. Lee's gleeful expression dropped to be replaced by one slightly more serious.

"My apologies my friend. I was very excited to see you and the flame of my youth burned out of control. To make up for it, I shall do 400 laps around this training field on my hands!" Lee said, before flipping over and landing nimbly on his hands.

Naruto stared on in confusion. "Uh, that's alright Lee, you don't have to…" He was interrupted however, as a barrage of shuriken shot out from the trees, sticking in the ground all around Lee's hands. Naruto jumped back, clutching Hinata protectively to his chest as his eyes scanned the area for enemies.

What he found instead however was a girl about his age, with brown hair tied into two buns on top of her head. She wore a pink Chinese style shirt and black pants, with a Konoha headband tied around her head. She held a few more shuriken in her hand, and was currently glaring at the sheepish looking Lee.

"Lee you idiot! We don't have time for this, we're supposed to be doing a training exercise with Neji and Gai-sensei!" She said, scolding the green clad ninja.

Lee flipped back to a standing position. "You're right Tenten! In my youthful exuberance I had forgotten that we were in the middle of a training exercise!" He turned to Naruto. "I am sorry my friend, but we will have to catch up another time!" Before the last word was even out of his mouth, Lee had already taken off through the trees surrounding the training grounds.

"OI LEE!" The girl, Tenten shouted after him. "God, I don't know how much longer I can take of this." Tenten said, looking up to the sky as if hoping that some kind deity might help her plight. That was until she realized she wasn't alone in the training area. She looked over at Naruto, and then at Hinata, before a sly grin appeared on her face.

"Oh, sorry about that. I hope my teammate didn't interrupt you two." She said.

Naruto felt the heat rush up to his cheeks. "What do you mean? I... we… she fainted after we were done training!" He said.

Tenten's grin grew at that. "Oh? And what exactly were you training so hard to make your girlfriend faint huh?"

"WHAT?! Hinata's not my girlfriend! And we were just training! Training! I swear!" Naruto said, getting extremely flustered.

Tenten started laughing. "Okay okay fine. Sorry, I was just teasing you. My name's Tenten." She said.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. And this," He said nodding towards Hinata, "Is Hinata Hyuuga, a friend from my class."

"Oh? She's Neji's cousin?" Tenten said. Thinking about it, she had seen her around the compound Neji lived at on occasion.

"Wait, you know her family? That's great! Can you tell me where she lives? I wanna get her home but I have no idea." He said, sheepishly grinning.

Tenten nodded. "Sure thing. Actually, if you want to come with me, her cousin is on the same team as Lee and me. He could probably give you better directions than me.

"Awesome, thanks!" Naruto said. Tenten nodded and jumped off into the forest in the direction Lee had gone earlier, Naruto following behind, with the still unconscious Hinata snuggling closer to him as he went.

When they got to the clearing Tenten's team was training in Naruto was confused. Somehow… he wasn't quite sure how, but Lee had gotten taller. And was wearing a vest. It took him a few moments to realize that the man he was staring at wasn't Lee at all, but someone who looked so close he could be Lee's father. Lee was on the ground, doing push ups with his thumbs. The man turned his attention from Lee to the two ninjas who had entered the field.

"Ah Tenten you've arrived! With this our youthful team is complete!" The man said, seeming to bust at the seams with energy. Tenten just sighed. "And who is this youthful young man you've brought along?"

Tenten opened her mouth to respond, but Lee spoke up first. "Gai-sensei, this is the friend I was telling you about, the one who trained with me before I graduated from the academy. His name is Naruto."

Gai smiled at Naruto, his teeth seeming to shine light on the blonde. "Excellent, I've been looking forward to meeting you Naruto-kun! I've heard many things about you from my youthful student here. It is a testament to the fires of your youth that you have overcome your burden and still wish to become a shinobi of the Leaf." He gave Naruto a thumbs up. At least Naruto assumed that's what he was doing. It was hard to tell with all that light in his eyes.

"Ummm… yeah thanks." Naruto said.

"Gai-sensei, what is this burden of Naruto's you speak of?" Lee asked, curious about what might trouble his friend.

"Now now Lee, that is a question you shall have to ask of Naruto-kun later, it would not be youthful of me to tell you myself. And it looks like Naruto-kun has something he needs to say." Gai looked over at Naruto, who was glad that the older ninja had finally stopped smiling. So glad, that he almost forgot why he had come here, until Tenten poked him in the side.

"Oh yeah! Tenten was telling me you have someone from the Hyuuga family on your team. I was wondering if they could give me directions to Hinata's house," Naruto lifted Hinata up slightly higher, "She fainted while we were training, and I wanted to make sure she got home okay."

Gai looked at the young girl in Naruto's arms, and then back up at Naruto. His eyes suddenly teared up, and he put an arm over them as he looked up to the sky. "WHAT A DISPLAY OF CAMADARIE! TO CARRY A FALLEN TEAMMATE ALL THE WAY HOME, THIS IS THE EPITOME OF YOUTHFULNESS!" He shouted. He then turned to Lee, a serious expression on his face. "Remember Lee, devotion to your friends and teammates if always important, you must strive to attain the same level of caring and devotion as Naruto-kun!"

Lee stood up from his pushups and saluted. "Yosh! I will become just as devoted as Naruto!" He turned and smiled at Tenten, holding his arms out. "Here Tenten, I will take you home since you are my friend and teammate!"

Tenten's eyebrow twitched. "Lee… I haven't fainted, and we're supposed to be training remember?" She said, exasperated at her teams antics.

"Hmmph. It figures that Hinata would need someone to carry her home after training." A new voice said. Naruto looked up to see a boy in the tree above Gai. He had long black here, and was wearing black shorts with a khaki jacket. His eyes were white just like Hinata's.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked, a little put off by the boy's rude statement.

"Only the truth. Hinata is destined to be weak. She will never be able to lead the Hyuuga clan." The boy said, a smirk on his face.

"Now Neji, you shouldn't be mean to your cousin. She is younger than you, but she might make an excellent kunoichi." Gai said reprovingly.

Neji just shook his head. "Fate decides are place in life the day we were born. She will always be weak."

Naruto glared up at Neji. _'Who does this guy think he is?'_

"Look, could you just tell me where Hinata lives so I can take her home?" Naruto said. Neji shrugged.

"If you must. I trust you know where the Hokage tower is?" Neji said in his condescending tone. After Naruto nodded (glaring all the while) Neji continued. "If you straight from the Hokage tower and then take a left at the river, and follow it all the way down, it will eventually lead to the Hyuuga compound."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks." _'Jerk'_ He thought as he made to leave the field. He stopped and turned back around. "Oh, and thanks for the help Tenten. It was nice to meet you Gai-sensei. Lee, we need to have ramen again one of these days!" He said, before leaving the clearing.

* * *

Luckily for Naruto the person at who he met at the Hyuuga compound was very courteous. She even thanked Naruto for bringing Hinata back. All in all, he felt fairly good as he left to find some food. It was odd. It had just been two small words but suddenly the day seemed brighter, the air clearer.

He smiled to himself as he walked the familiar path to Ichiraku. Maybe if he was lucky enough, the old man at the ramen stand might even give him a double helping of pork in his ramen. Naruto closed his eyes as he envisioned bowl after bowl of steamy noodle goodness. He was so engrossed in his ramen fantasy that he didn't notice it when he walked right into someone else, tumbling to the ground.

"Owww… what happened?" He asked, looking around. He looked up to find a pair of legs near his face, wrapped in bandages. He followed the legs to a purple skirt, and finally up to the face of a very angry Ino.

"NARUTO YOU IDIOT! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" She shouted, clocking him on the head.

"Owww… sorry Ino, I'm just really hungry, I wasn't paying attention. You're not hurt are you?" Naruto asked, standing up and offering a hand to Ino.

Ino just "humphed" before taking his hand and pulling herself up. "I'm fine. Geez, you'd walk right through the village walls if you were hungry wouldn't you?" She said, shaking her head slightly.

Naruto laughed sheepishly. "Heh, you might be right about that." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "Here, how about I buy you some ramen to make it up to you?" He offered.

"Eww ramen? How can you eat that stuff?" She asked.

"What do you mean?! Ramen is the greatest food ever!" Naruto exclaimed shocked at that anyone would doubt the greatness of ramen.

"Nope, sorry. There's lots of food out there better than ramen." Ino stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever even had ramen?" He asked.

Ino shook her head. "Of course not. It's just noodle soup, it's full of sodium and fat."

He smirked. "Then how do you know if it's not the greatest food out there?" He asked. Ino just shrugged. Naruto sighed. "Come on, just try it, I'm sure you'll love it once you've had some. The old man at Ichiraku makes the best ramen ever!"

Ino just sighed, knowing how hard it would be to dissuade the other blonde now. Finally, she got an idea, a small smile forming on her lips. "Geez Naruto, I didn't know you wanted to take me on a date that badly!" She said. Naruto gawked at her as her tone took on a teasing tone. "What should I do? My heart is only for Sasuke-kun, but now another young man has been stricken by my beauty?" She said with a dramatic flair, placing the back of her hand to her forehead and looking up to the sky.

Naruto blushed slightly. "Oh come on Ino, I'm just offering since I knocked you down… and well, now to prove that ramen tastes good."

Ino laughed. "Alright Naruto. I'll let you treat me to some ramen if it's that important to you." She said.

He smiled. "Great! I guarantee you'll like it Ino!" He said, grabbing her hand and running down the path with Ino in tow.

"OI! Naruto slow down!" Ino said as she was dragged along.

When the two made it to the ramen stand they were greeted by Teuchi. "My Naruto, she's a cute one. What does she see in a runt like you?" The old man asked, causing both blondes to blush.

"It's not like that old man! Ino's a friend from the academy and I'm trying to show her how great your ramen is!" Naruto said. Teuchi just laughed.

"Alright then! I guess I better make this a special order then. I can't let down my number one customer!" He said, before turning to cook the food.

Ino had finally shaken off her blush, and smelled the food being prepared. She had to admit, it did smell good. So good her stomach gave off a small growl. She blushed and smiled sheepishly at Naruto. "Sorry, I'm on a diet so I didn't have much for lunch." She said.

Naruto made a face. "Why are you on a diet, you almost look too skinny as it is. Besides, how're you gonna have the energy to practice your skills if you don't get enough to eat?"

Ino shook her head at the blonde. "You wouldn't understand Naruto." She said.

Naruto just shrugged, and looked back at Teuchi who was pouring the broth over the noodles. He almost seemed ready to leap out of his seat as he waited for the food.

After what seemed like an eternity (but was really only a few minutes) Teuchi set a bowl of ramen in front of both the blondes. Naruto enthusiastically broke his chopstick apart. "Itadakimasu!" He exclaimed, digging into the food.

Ino looked at the food. It didn't look too bad, and it smelled pretty good. She broke apart her chopsticks and took a couple noodles. She took a bite, chewing it over thoughtfully. Naruto stopped his feeding frenzy to look and see what she thought.

Ino swallowed the food, and then hung her head. "I can't believe it… it's delicious!" She said. Naruto smiled.

"I told ya so!" He said, turning back to his own bowl and shoveling the noodles into his mouth. Ino stared at him for a second before she grabbed his arm, causing him to stop.

"Listen Naruto, when you're eating with a lady, you shouldn't just shovel the food down your throat. Take your time so you don't get it all over the place." She said. Naruto swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded.

"Heh, sorry Ino." He placed his bowl on the counter and ever so carefully picked up a single noodle, before placing it in his mouth and chewing it very slowly. After a few seconds, he made a big show of swallowing, before dabbing at his face with a napkin. "There is that better?" He asked, grinning mischievously.

Ino burst out laughing at the over the top acting. "Geez Naruto, you know what I meant. You wouldn't want to eat like that in front of Sakura. She'd kick your butt all the way to the village gates." She said, smiling at him.

Naruto laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." He said, going back to his ramen, though this time with much better manners. Ino smiled before returning to her own ramen. The two chatted about their class as they eat, laughing about some of the antics of their mutual friend Shikamaru.

After they were done, they walked together, still chatting happily. When they finally came to an intersection Ino turned at smiled at him. "Well, my home is this way. Thanks for the food Naruto, I must admit ramen is better than I thought it was."

"Heh, always happy to help someone realize the greatness of ramen." He said.

Ino laughed. "Yep, I'll have to let you treat me again sometime. Though next time you want a date, just ask instead of bowling me over okay?" She said, winking at him, before turning around and heading towards her house. Naruto just stood there for a few seconds, before laughing to himself and shaking his head.

* * *

He wasn't quite ready to go back to his apartment yet. There wasn't anything to do there except sleep and eat, and since he had already eaten and wasn't tired yet, he decided to go for a walk around the village.

The sun was beginning to set, giving the sky an orange glow. He stopped and looked at the Hokage Mountain, once again making his silent affirmation that one day his face would be up there.

He continued his walk, ignoring the occasional glare from the villagers. He found himself near a small lake. He looked over it for a few moments, admiring the way the lake reflected the last rays of light for the day. He shook himself from his sightseeing, and noticed something else.

Sitting at the edge of the lake was Sasuke. He looked angry, as always, staring off into the depths of the lake. Seeming to feel eyes on him, he looked up and stared at Naruto, before glaring and turning away to contemplate whatever it was he found so interesting about the lake.

Naruto shrugged. Sasuke always seemed to be like this anymore. Every now and then he'd seem to cheer up, but it'd only last for a few seconds at most before he went right back to his sullen attitude. He was about to walk away, but he decided he finally had to know why. Turning around, he made his way down the small incline to where Sasuke was brooding.

"Hey Sasuke. How's it going?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke gave him a brief glance before turning back to the lake. "What do you want dobe?" He replied.

Naruto just sighed. "Come on Sasuke. What's wrong? I mean, we've never been… well, friends I guess. But I thought we were kinda like… I don't know friendly rivals or something? But anymore all you seem to due is scowl and be angry."

Sasuke was silent. Naruto stared at him, before sitting down beside him, staring off into the distance.

They sat like that for a few minutes, the only sound being that of an occasional fish splashing in the lake.

"You really wanna know dobe?" Sasuke finally said, his voice tinted with anger. Naruto turned and saw Sasuke was glaring at him. He nodded his head. "My family was killed! Everyone I ever knew or cared about was killed by the person I was closest to! He killed my mother, my father, everyone! And then, then he made me watch. And he told me… he told me to run away, and to hate him. And I do. And one day, I'm going to find him, and I'm going to kill him. That's what's wrong with me you idiot! I don't have time for friends or your childish pranks or your happy attitude! I have to get stronger so I can avenger my family!" It was probably the most Sasuke had ever said to him at one time. Sasuke himself seemed surprised at his outburst, closing his mouth so tightly that it appeared as a thin line.

"Sasuke…" Naruto was at a loss for words. He'd heard about the Uchiha massacre of course. It was all over the town for months after it had happened. Heck, some of the more deranged villagers had even said that _**he **_was the cause of it.

Still though… "Sasuke. I know it must hurt. I mean, I never knew my family, but I bet it's worse to have happy memories of them and then have them taken away." He felt his voice starting to crack, but he plowed on. "But I don't think your family would want to see you like this. And you don't have to be a friendless bastard in order to get strong. Look at the Hokage. He's the strongest person in the village, and he's friendly to just about everyone."

Sasuke looked pensive, before he snorted and turned back to the lake. "What would you know dobe?" He said.

"I know that you're never gonna become strong sitting here staring at a lake. Or on your own. You'll need the help of people who care about you." Naruto said, standing up and dusting his pants off. "I want to help you Sasuke. But if all you wanna do is sit there and be angry, there's nothing I can do… but I'll always be around if you need anything. Even if it's just someone to spar with." Naruto said with a smile. He turned and started walking back up the incline to the road, but he could have sworn that as he left, he had seen Sasuke smirk.

'_Naw, had to have been my imagination.'_ He thought to himself, heading back to his home.

* * *

The final year passed quickly. The students were kept fairly busy, both with sharpening their skills for the final exam, and with Naruto. As the year dragged on, the blonde ninja-to-be seemed to be at the center of more and more pranks, often assisted by his on again off again friends Shikamaru, Chouji, or Kiba. There were times when Iruka almost demanded that the Hokage supply aspirin to the academy teachers.

Then Naruto pulled off his prank of the century. Nobody was quite sure how he did it without anyone noticing. The Hokage Monument was visible from practically any point in the village, so how Naruto was able to paint on each of the four faces without anybody noticing was a feat all on its own. But it didn't stop there. He then ran through the village, leading two Chuunin on a merry little chase, constantly giving them the slip before being chased by some more. Iruka had finally caught the little troublemaker hiding behind a cloth made to blend in with the surrounding fence line. He dragged him to back to class, flabbergasted at how much trouble his student was able to cause, before the day had even really began.

"Honestly Naruto what were you thinking?" Iruka asked, exhausted with the blondes antics.

"Aw come on Iruka-sensei! Making it look like Old Man Hokage was staring down at the bath house with a perverted look on his face is hilarious." Naruto replied, a wide grin on his face. The rest of the class laughed, causing his grin to grow even wider.

Iruka just sighed. "Naruto, you don't have time to be wasting on these silly pranks, the final exam is tomorrow you know?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Iruka. "I'll be fine, thanks to Sakura-chan I've got all the basics down."

Iruka felt his eye twitching. "Oh really? Alright then fine. Everyone line up, we're gonna have a surprise exam." He said. The class groaned in response, the majority glaring at Naruto.

They went down the list, each student performing a passable Henge of Iruka. Naruto's turn was coming up, right after Sasuke. He knew he had to get Iruka back for this. After all, it had just been a small prank to lighten everyone's spirits. There was no reason to make the entire class mad at him for it. Of course, there was that one jutsu he had been saving for a special occasion.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka said. Naruto stepped up to the front of the room. He looked straight at Iruka, before grinning at his teacher and making the ram hand seal. _'Oh god, this won't end well'_ Iruka thought as Naruto was enveloped in smoke.

"How's this Iruka-sensei?" A high pitched silky voice asked from the smoke. As the smoke cleared Iruka felt his eyes start to bug out. His student had just transformed from a shrimpy little boy to a very sexy, very naked, girl with her long blonde hair in pig tails. She looked at him for a second before kissing her finger and winking at him. And that was all Iruka could take before he felt himself lose consciousness.

Naruto 'poofed' back to his normal self, clutching his sides and laughing at his teacher. "I can't believe you fell for that Iruka-sensei! How do you like my Orioke no Jutsu?" He asked, still laughing. His laughter suddenly died out however, when he felt an oppressive force surround him. He almost felt paralyzed, but summoned the strength to turn around to where the feeling was coming from.

Standing behind him was Sakura and Ino, and behind them were the rest of the girls in the class (with the exception of Hinata, who had also passed out when Iruka-sensei did). Ino was cracking her knuckles and Sakura held up a fist shaking in anger.

"NA-RU-TO!" She said through gritted teeth. She finally pulled back and slugged him in the face. "YOU PERVERT!" She shouted, as the rest of the girls joined in, clawing and slapping the defenseless boy.

Shikamaru looked on, shaking his head. "How troublesome…"

* * *

Naruto was grumbling to himself as he scrubbed at the paint on the monument. He was covered in scratches, his clothes were torn, and still Iruka was making him clean up. _'No one in this village can take a joke.'_ He thought to himself.

Iruka sighed as he watched Naruto scrub at the paint. He had to admit, the boy was surprising. It had taken a lot of talent to pull this off. But still, he wanted to get home at some point. "Hey Naruto, hurry it up will you? It's gonna be dark soon." He said from his spot on top the Second Hokage's head.

Naruto just looked up at him. "So? I don't have a curfew or anything. There's no one waiting for me at home, I could take all night if I wanted." Normally he didn't try to talk back to Iruka, but he was feeling decidedly surly over the whole ordeal.

'_Ouch.'_ Iruka thought. He sometimes forgot that Naruto was an orphan. He felt a little bad, looking down as his student scrubbed. Finally, he got an idea to encourage him. "Hey Naruto." He called, grabbing the blonde's attention again. "If you hurry up and get this cleaned off, I'll treat you to some ramen." He said, rubbing the bridge of his nose as though he was embarrassed. There was a few moments of silence causing him to look down. Naruto was staring up at him, Iruka could almost literally see the stars in his eyes.

"Free ramen! Heck yeah! I'll have this place sparkling in no time!" He said, cleaning the paint with renewed vigor. Iruka laughed. There was never a dull moment with Naruto around.

The sun was just beginning to set when Naruto had washed off the last of the paint. He stood up and stretched, heaving a sigh after all the work he'd done (and had to subsequently undo). Iruka smiled at him. "Good work Naruto. Now how about we go get that ramen?" He said. Naruto smiled back, and nodded.

The two started walking away from the monument, when a ninja in a ANBU mask appeared before them. "Iruka-san, I have been instructed to escort Naruto Uzumaki to the Hokage." The ANBU said.

Iruka's face set in confusion. "But why? Naruto was already punished for defacing the monument." He said.

The ANBU shook his head. "I do not know. The Hokage merely asked me to bring the boy to him." He replied.

Iruka sighed. "Well Naruto, it looks like we're gonna have to postpone the ramen." He said. Noticing the depressed look in the boy's eyes, he quickly added, "But we'll get some tomorrow after you pass the exam! It'll be a celebration!" He said, smiling and ruffling Naruto's hair.

Naruto smiled back. "Alright Iruka-sensei, I'll see you tomorrow!" He said, before walking with the man from ANBU towards the Hokage Tower.

The ANBU lead Naruto to the Hokage's office, knocking on the door twice before saying, "Lord Hokage, I have brought Naruto Uzumaki as you requested." He waited for a moment, before they heard a muffled "Send him in." The ANBU opened the door, and Naruto walked into the office.

"What's up Old Man?" Naruto asked, smiling cheerfully at the Hokage.

"You caused us quite a bit of trouble today Naruto." The Hokage said, a smile threatening to form on his face. "But I haven't called you here for that. I need to speak with you about something very important, you may want to have a seat, it might take awhile." He said, indicating a chair in front of the desk.

Naruto looked perplexed but sat down, and prepared himself for whatever it was the Hokage had to tell him.

* * *

The next day dawned much too early for Naruto, who had hardly slept after his talk with the Hokage. He still couldn't believe what the old man had said. He had felt confused, hurt, even slightly betrayed. However, if what the Hokage had told him was true, it also explained a lot.

He took a quick shower and while he let his ramen soak in hot water. He grabbed it and a pair of disposable chopsticks, heading out the door. Today was definitely one day he did not want to be late. Eating the ramen as fast as he could, he walked towards the Academy.

When he got there, he could feel the excitement coming off the other students. This was it, the day they left their childhood behind, and became full fledged ninjas of the Leave Village. Some were confident, some were anxious, but all were just waiting to finally get their hands on that headband.

Iruka walked into the room, and waited for the class to quiet down. "Alright class, this is it. Today you'll take your first real steps into the world of Shinobi. Today we'll be testing you on different abilities. When I call your name please follow me into the next room where Mizuki-sensei and I will grade your performance. If you pass, you'll get one of these," He said, pointing at the headband he was wearing, "And become an official Leaf Shinobi." With that, he called the first student, Shino Aburame.

Naruto felt himself starting to tense up as each student was called. He'd be one of the last, which suited him just fine. He had to calm himself down if he was gonna be able to do anything for the exam.

Sakura noticed how nervous he was, and walked over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Calm down Naruto, you're gonna do fine." She said, seeming to read his mind. He smiled at her gratefully, before the smile turned into an impish smirk.

"Really? How about a kiss for good luck?" He said. Sakura just rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Keep dreaming." She said. Iruka came back in and called her name. "Wish me luck." She said, following him out the door.

One by one students were leaving the classroom. Those left behind had no idea whether their fellow students passed, failed, or even what they had to do. All they could do was wait. Which wasn't one of Naruto's strong suits. He felt anxiety clawing at him as Iruka finally took Sasuke out, meaning he was next.

'_I can't do this'_ He thought to himself suddenly, _'I'm gonna mess up. There's no way I can go through with this! I'm not ready!!'_ He almost felt like making a break for it. He even started edging towards one of the windows when the classroom door opened again.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Iruka said. Naruto felt like a deer caught in the path of a Katon jutsu, and could only sigh as he followed Iruka out the door and into a separate room down the hall.

Mizuki was a man about the same age as Iruka. He had silver hair that went down to just about the middle of his neck. He had taught in their class on occasion, and he always seemed friendly. He gave Naruto an encouraging smile when he saw him enter. Naruto felt his anxiety go up even more.

Iruka sat behind the table next to Mizuki. On the table were eight more headbands. Naruto looked longingly at one. Here it was, finally everything he had worked so hard for…

"Alright Naruto. For your test I need you to demonstrate the Bunshin no Jutsu." Mizuki said.

All at once Naruto felt his anxiety disappear. He nodded, and started molding his chakra. Once he felt he was ready, he made the hand seal. "Bunshin no Jutsu!" He exclaimed. Next to him there was a puff of smoke. He held his breath, and almost felt like closing his eyes.

Iruka and Mizuki looked at the results. To say they were pitiful would be doing Naruto an injustice. Where there should have been 2-3 Narutos, there was only one sickly looking Naruto lying like a lump on the floor. Iruka looked at his student, a little disappointed.

"I'm sorry Naruto… but you failed." He said.

Naruto hung his head in shame. Mizuki turned to Iruka, a knowing look on his face. "Hey now Iruka, don't be so harsh. I mean he was able to produce a clone. Can't we pass him?" He asked.

Iruka just shook his head. "Mizuki, the other students are able to produce two to three clones that are able to move. Naruto was only able to produce one that would just get in the way. As much as I wish it was otherwise, he's obviously not ready to be a ninja." Iruka looked over at Naruto, who looked even more depressed, as he walked out of the classroom.

It wasn't fair! He knew how to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu, had down it a couple of times before. And it didn't help that as he walked out of the academy, there was a swarm of parents standing in the yard, congratulating their children on becoming ninja.

What made it even worse was the looks of some of them. They almost seemed to be happy in his failure. He caught snippets of some of their conversation. It was the same old 'the boy is a demon' line, but today it seemed even more hurtful. He sat there for awhile, not even noticing it when someone finally approached him.

"Hey Naruto." He looked up, to see Mizuki standing next to him, a sad smile on his face. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked. Naruto just nodded, and followed Mizuki. He led him up to the roof of the academy, and sat down on the balcony, letting the spring wind blow over them.

"Iruka's not being mean you know. He just cares about you." Mizuki said after a few moments.

Naruto snorted. "If he cares so much why wouldn't he let me pass?" He asked.

Mizuki shook his head. "He's just doing what he thinks is right. The two of you are a lot alike you know? Iruka lost his parents too." When he saw he wasn't any affect on Naruto, he stood up, stretching his arms out, before turning and facing the blonde. "You know, there is another way for you to pass the exam." He said.

Naruto looked up, his face skeptical, almost as if he expected Mizuki to laugh and say 'Just kidding' at any given moment. But Mizuki seemed serious, and he felt a bit of hope. "Really?"

Mizuki nodded. "All you have to do is…"

* * *

"Lord Hokage! Naruto has stolen the Forbidden Scroll!" A brown haired ninja said, as other ninjas gathered around their aged leader.

The Hokage looked deep in thought, before he finally gave a deep sigh. "Find Naruto. Bring him and the scroll back." He said, and then added "Unharmed!" To which some of the assembled ninja's flinched.

Iruka jumped across the rooftops, feeling incredibly guilty for what was happening. Surely Naruto wouldn't have stolen the scroll to use for vengeance, he was a good kid. But still… Iruka increased his pace, searching for his student. Meanwhile in the shadows, a figure looked on, a maniacal grin forming on his face.

Naruto sat in the forest, the scroll beside him. It was called the Forbidden Scroll, and he had been told just to take it, but he was really curious about why it was so forbidden? Maybe it had some horrible secret in it. Or maybe a super powerful jutsu? The possibilities seemed endless. Unable to contain his curiosity anymore, he opened the scroll, and looked at the first item listed.

"Kage Bunshin no Justus? Well, I've got some time…" He said, and started practicing the instructions written on the scroll.

When Iruka had finally found him, Naruto looked worn out, but had a happy grin on his face. "Hey Iruka-sensei. I got the scroll, and I even learned a jutsu from it. This means I pass right?"

Iruka looked at Naruto in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. _'He's been out here practicing?'_ He thought to himself incredulously. "Naruto, what are you talking about? Who told you that you'd pass if you took the scroll?" He asked.

Now it was Naruto's turn to look surprised. "Wait, you mean he didn't tell you…" Whatever he was about to say was cut off, as Iruka hear something metal whistling towards them. Instantly reacting, he tackled Naruto to the ground, as a large shuriken flew over them and back towards the forest. He followed its flight path and gasped when he saw the person who grabbed it.

"Mi-Mizuki?! What're you doing?" He asked in shock.

Mizuki stood on a tree branch, two more large shuriken strapped to his back. He ignored Iruka's question and looked at Naruto. "Naruto, give me the scroll." He said, his nice-guy demeanor completely gone.

Iruka understood immediately. _'This is what Naruto was talking about. Mizuki must have tricked him into stealing the scroll!'_

"Naruto, whatever you do don't let Mizuki get his hands on the scroll. It's got important village secrets in it and he's trying to steal it." Iruka said.

"I-" Naruto began but was cut off by Mizuki.

"That's a lie Naruto, Iruka's just afraid of what you'll do with the scroll. He doesn't want you to have it."

"What are you saying Mizuki? Don't believe him Naruto!" Iruka said.

"I'll tell you the truth." Mizuki said, his face looking smug. "Twelve years ago after the Kyuubi attack there was a law that was made. A law only you weren't allowed to know about."

For the first time since this event had transpired, Naruto looked confused. "A law? What is it? Why am I the only one not allowed to know?" He asked.

"Stop it Mizuki!" Iruka exclaimed, afraid of what hearing the truth might do to his student.

Mizuki ignored him. "It was a law stating that no one could say Naruto is the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-what?"

Mizuki grinned victoriously. "In other words you are the nine-tailed demon fox that attacked our village years ago, and killed Iruka's parents! This whole time the village was playing you for a fool. Don't you think it was weird, the way people hated you so much?"

Iruka looked at Naruto. The boy was shaking, it looked like he was going into shock. "Damnit Mizuki shut up!" Iruka cried.

"In reality, by killing you I'll be doing the entire village a favor. Die Naruto!" Mizuki took one of the giant shurikens, and heaved it at Naruto. Naruto just stood there, seeming to not even notice the killing tool flying his way.

"NARUTO!" Iruka shouted, his body moving on its own.

"Oof." Naruto felt the breath get knocked out of him, finally knocking him back to his senses. Iruka was kneeling over him, coughing up blood. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the giant shuriken sticking out of Iruka's back.

"Iruka-sensei… why?" He asked.

"Because Naruto… we're the same. After my parents died, no one ever complimented me or recognized my existence. I started goofing off in class, anything I could do just to get attention. But it was lonely. Right? You've felt it too. I'm sorry. I should've been there for you more." Iruka coughed again, more blood spilling out of his mouth. Naruto narrowed his eyes, and started to stand up.

"Iruka's lying!" Mizuki shouted from the treetops, another giant shuriken in his hand. "He just wants to get the scroll from you."

"Shut up." Naruto said, glaring at Mizuki. Mizuki looked on in shock as Naruto took the scroll off his back, laying it before Iruka. "Don't let anything happen to this okay Iruka-sensei?" He said, before returning his attention to Mizuki.

"I don't care what you say. I don't even care if I am the Kyuubi, or if the entire village hates me! If I am the Kyuubi, then I've got a lot to make up for. But if I'm not, then I'll just prove it to the village! And I'll start by taking out trash like you!" Naruto shouted. He reached into the pouch at his leg and threw four kunai straight at Mizuki, who leapt out of the trees throwing the second shuriken at Naruto. Naruto dodged to the side, letting the shuriken get lodged into a tree behind him.

"I can't believe I'm gonna have to do this, but it looks like things aren't going according to plan so…" Naruto said, before he made a different seal then the ones he was taught in the academy. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He shouted, before the area was filled with smoke. It quickly dissipated, revealing a literal army of Narutos, all grinning evilly at Mizuki.

"You shouldn't have hurt Iruka-sensei. Alright boys, let's get him!" Naruto called, as the other Narutos called out their own battle cries before charging the traitorous ninja. Mizuki just stood in shock as the clones advanced on him, before he was overwhelmed by a tide of Narutos.

Iruka just stood on in amazement, having removed the shuriken from his back. Naruto was ruthlessly pummeling Mizuki. Finally, after a few minutes the clones were dispelled, and a very beaten Mizuki was left lying in the field before a single Naruto.

Naruto turned to Iruka, grinning sheepishly with a hand behind his head. "Heh, I think I kinda overdid it." He said.

The pure absurdity of the statement caused Iruka to laugh. This was classic Naruto. He had just stopped a traitor from stealing one of their village's most precious items, in the most extreme way imaginable.

"Naruto, come over here for a moment and close your eyes." Iruka said. Naruto looked confused, but stepped in front of Iruka with his eyes closed. He felt something on his forehead, and then Iruka said, "Alright, go ahead and open your eyes Naruto."

He opened his eyes, and looked at Iruka. His headband was missing, and he realized what it was he was feeling around his head. Iruka just smiled at him. "Congratulations Naruto, you passed!" He said.

Naruto felt his eyes tear up, and he threw his arms around Iruka, hugging him and saying 'thank you' over and over again. Iruka just laughed, ruffling Naruto's hair. "Alright Naruto, now how about I treat you to some ramen to celebrate?" He said.

Naruto looked at him. "Actually Iruka-sensei, I think we should get your wound looked at first. And I think we need to return the scroll to the Hokage… plus he owes me an explanation…" Naruto said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Iruka looked troubled. "Look Naruto. About what Mizuki said. You're not the Kyuubi no Kitsune. I can't say anymore than that, but I'm sure the Hokage will tell you."

Naruto blinked at Iruka, and laughed slightly. "Oh, I'm not worried about that. I'm just wondering where the Jounin is that the Old Man told me would be here to pick up the traitor." He said.

Iruka stared at Naruto, silent for almost a minute before screaming "WHAT?!"

* * *

The pair stood before the Hokage, after having Iruka's wound looked at and bandaged. The Hokage had his crystal ball on his desk, and he looked troubled.

"Naruto…" The Hokage began to say but was cut off by the person in question.

"Hey Old Man? What happened out there?! You told me that once I'd made contact with whoever was trying to steal the scroll, there'd be a Jounin to arrest him! Iruka-sensei got hurt because of it!" Naruto seemed quite angry about the whole ordeal.

"Yes, the Jounin in question is being punished right now. He has a bad habit of being late, hopefully this may teach him a lesson… but onto more important matters," He threw a book at Naruto, clocking him on the head, "I TOLD YOU NOT TO ACTUALLY OPEN THE SCROLL YOU BRAT!"

"WELL I WAS BORED WAITING FOR MIZUKI TO SHOW UP! BESIDES, I ONLY LEARNED ONE JUTSU!" Naruto scream back, sticking his tongue out at the Hokage.

Iruka looked between the two very confused. "Lord Hokage, would you mind explaining what exactly happened tonight?

The Hokage calmed down and gave Iruka a small smile. "I'm sorry Iruka, of course I'd be more than happy to explain. A few days ago someone made an attempt to steal the Forbidden Scroll. When the ANBU looked into it they found that the trail led back to a missing Nin from the Grass Village. After he was captured he told us that someone from the academy was paying a handsome sum to anyone who could bring him the scroll. Of course, whoever it was was very careful and did not give away anything about their identity. So I asked Naruto here to help me find the traitor. Everyone knows that Naruto basically always has access to the Hokage's Tower. So I asked Naruto to purposefully fail the genin exam to see if anyone would approach him about it. When Mizuki offered Naruto the chance of a 'make-up exam' by stealing the scroll, he came right to me. Of course, we had to be sure it was Mizuki, so I had Naruto take the scroll to where they were supposed to meet. I had also dispatched a Jounin to apprehend the traitor once he showed up. However, the Jounin didn't make it in time and it fell onto Naruto to stop him. Which he did admirably, even if it was with a jutsu from the scroll I told him specifically not to open." The Hokage smiled at Naruto, who this time had the grace to look at least a little guilty.

Iruka still looked confused. "Um… Lord Hokage, not to question your plan or anything… but wouldn't it have been wiser to give Naruto a fake scroll? I mean, what if Mizuki had actually gotten away with it?"

The Hokage blinked at Iruka, looking as if the man had just told a caveman how to make fire. Finally, the Hokage grinned slightly embarrassed. "I didn't think about that!" He said, causing Iruka to face fault.

The Hokage's face grew serious again. "Now Naruto, about what Mizuki told you in the forest. I'm sorry I kept it a secret from you but I wanted you to live a happy life."

"Oh, my life has been all sunshine and rosebushes if you couldn't tell Old Man." Naruto said, rolling his eyes.

The Hokage shook his head. "When the Kyuubi attacked us twelve years ago, we couldn't find a way to kill it. The Fourth Hokage however, discovered that he could seal the demon into a newborn child. You were that child Naruto. That seal on your stomach is the prison that keeps the Kyuubi away. The sealing process took the Fourth's life. His final decree was that you were to be treated as a hero, as the savior of the village. However, when people learned that you had the Kyuubi inside you, they became afraid. Their fear made them ignorant to the fact that you were an innocent child, and they demanded your death. So I made it a law that no one could talk about what really happened, and that no one was allowed to call you a demon. I thought that at least might protect you from the newer generation." The Hokage looked saddened at the memories.

Naruto placed a hand on his stomach. "So you mean I've got the fiercest demon in the world locked up inside of me?" He asked. The Hokage nodded. Naruto stood there for a second, before a small smile crept on his face. "How great is that? I've been protecting this village since the day I was born!" He seemed to get more excited at the thought. "Just you wait Old Man! With this kind of record your job is a good as mine!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the Hokage.

The Hokage just stared at Naruto, before he started chuckling, which slowly built into a full blown laugh. He wiped a tear away from his eye. "I have no doubt about that Naruto. But for now, why don't you and Iruka go get some rest. You still have a lot of work to do before you're assigned to your genin squad." He said.

Iruka and Naruto nodded, and left the room. The Hokage stood up and stared out the window for a second. "You can come in now." He said.

A silver haired man walked into the Hokage's office, slightly nervous. His headband was worn at a slant, covering one of his eyes, and he had a blue mask covering the bottom half of his face. "Yes Hokage-sama?" He said.

"About your punishment Kakashi…" Although Kakashi couldn't see it for sure, he was positive the Hokage had an evil grin on his face…

**A/N: Whoo boy, that was a run. Sorry for the length between updates. I don't really have a good excuse this time, but hopefully the length of the chapter makes up for it?**

**So, Naruto is finally through the academy. And now the fun can begin!**

**I tried to keep the Mizuki dialogue as close to the Anime as I could, but it felt a little constricting, so I changed it up a little.**

**Hopefully chapter 5 won't take me this long. I've found that now that I've actually outlined what's gonna happen in each chapter, it's a lot easier to write it. So please, review, let me know how I'm doing, what you'd like to see, etc. Be aware though that flames will be used to toast marshmallows for s'mores! **


	5. A Mile in the Other's Shoes

"Spoken"

"Spoken"

'_Thoughts'_

**Demonic/Inner persona spoken**

'_**Demonic/Inner Persona thoughts'**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Summary: As a young boy Naruto has a discussion with a ANBU member about what exactly it means to be Hokage. With a new determination, Naruto sets out to achieve his dream of not only becoming Hokage, but protecting the village and everyone in it. Not a Super Naruto, more like a smart Naruto.

Response to Reviewers:

Wow, so I kinda goofed didn't I? That's what I get for taking like 8 months between updates. So apparently in chapter 3 I wrote that when Hinata fainted, Naruto would take her home. I'll fix it later at some point.

Also, I just want to clarify something due to some emails I've gotten regarding the story. While some of the pairings are still not set in stone, this is not "Naruto Does Konoha". It's not a story about Naruto getting into the pants of every girl from the series. Now then, I'm not saying I'm opposed to adding additional characters, but don't send me an email saying "U should tattaly add Hanabi and that chick from the furst movie to teh harem!!" If you actually feel like it would develop the plot for the story, or have a really good reason for the addition (or hell, even subtraction) of a character, then let me know.

Whoozawatta: Actually, I put that Naruto would be 'one of the last' to take the test. Don't worry, I wouldn't forget about our favorite little mind walker :)

Benkei Atsumori: It's cool, I love constructive criticism. I've already talked about the whole Hinata's house thing, so I'll just move on. Like I said, I'm gonna keep it 'close' to cannon, but if you noticed it went off cannon chapter 1. I guess I should restate it and say that most cannon events will still happen, though the reasoning behind them or the way they take place might be different, as in the Mizuki/Forbidden Scroll thing. As far as the exam goes, had Iruka not already passed him the Hokage would have explained what had happened, and Naruto would have retaken the test and passed. Now as for the team placements, I always thought that was a little silly. If there was really a "dead last", then it sounds to me like that person should be held back for a year or so, passing the exam or not. Maybe go to Shinobi finishing school or something till he's up to par. These kids aren't just going out to catch cats or carry groceries, there is going to be times were they will put their lives on the line, and having someone whose skills are that poor would really endanger the team. In my line of thinking, it'd be better to have Best Boy, Best Girl, and Boy who need improvement, which is were this Naruto falls into. Hope that gives you a glimpse into my line of thinking.

show.me.the.stars: Just to clarify, Naruto wasn't told of the Kyuubi seal the night before. All he was told was the plan to capture the traitor. Sarutobi didn't tell Naruto because he didn't think that the traitor would go that far, if he even knew about it. The only reason why he didn't freak out when Mizuki told him was because this Naruto has a fairly different mindset. When he heard that he "was the Kyuubi" all of the sudden he felt that much more responsibility to the village, and to Iruka.

As for the NaruHina stuff, sorry, the overwhelming response seems to be to include her in the harem. But as I've said before, I'm gonna see where the story goes.

I'm gonna go ahead and warn everyone, I'm not happy with the way this chapter came out, and I'm probably going to rewrite it before I post chapter 6, but I figured I'd upload it since it might be a while before that happens. Enjoy!

**Secrets in the Will of Fire**

**Chapter 5**

_'Man what a week!'_ Naruto thought to himself as he walked towards the academy. It had indeed been a crazy week for the blonde ninja. First there was the setup to trap Mizuki, in which he gained an awesome new ability. Then, he spent the day 'teaching' the Hokage's grandson, a boy named Konohamaru. Heck, he'd even invented a new jutsu on the spot (a deadly combination of his Orioke and Kage Bunshin jutsus, that he swore would never be revealed in front of a kunoichi. He didn't want to die quite yet) to 'defeat' the boy's pompous instructor Ebisu.

Now here he was. It was finally time to be assigned to his genin squad. As long as he didn't get stuck with any of the extreme Sasuke fan girls, he wasn't really too picky about which team he was on. Still… _'I hope Sakura-chan or Hinata is on my team'_.

When he walked into the classroom he felt the other genin stare at him. As he walked up to his favorite seat Shikamaru actually sat up to talk to him. "Hey Naruto, you know this meeting is only for people who passed the exam right?" He asked.

Naruto just smiled. He pointed a thumb to the headband he now wore. "Take a look Shikamaru. I passed… I just had to do a little extra credit." He made a victory sign with his hand. Shikamaru just shrugged, muttered something that sounded suspiciously close to "How troublesome" and went back to his semi-asleep pose. Naruto kept smiling, and made his way up to the seat next to Sasuke.

Sasuke was in his usual 'don't bother me' pose. He did however spare Naruto a curious glance, and seemed to smile just slightly when he saw the hitai-ate around his head. Naruto nodded to him, before taking his seat, waiting for Iruka to show up and announce the teams.

"Naruto?" He heard a familiar voice from behind. He turned around and saw Sakura and Ino, staring at him. Naruto smiled and was about to greet the pair, when Sakura suddenly hit him on the top of his head.

"OW! What was that for?" Naruto asked, nursing the area she'd just hit.

Sakura started shaking. "You jerk!" She said her voice almost a whisper. "You just disappeared after the exam! After I heard you failed I looked everywhere for you but… you…" It looked like she was about to cry, and Naruto suddenly felt elated and horrible at the same time. He felt good because someone had actually been worried about him. But, he didn't mean to cause anyone any pain. He stood up and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Sa-Sakura-chan I'm…" He stopped when he felt something pass him. He saw Sakura looking in surprise over his shoulder, so he turned around. Ino had just sat herself in the seat he had just recently stood from, a grin on her face.

"Hey Naruto, thanks for saving me the seat next to Sasuke-kun!" She chirped happily, before turning to ogle the Uchiha. Naruto stood there flabbergasted, while Sakura just glared at her friend/rival.

"INO-PIG! Get away from Sasuke-kun! I got here first!" She said, shoving Naruto to the side and standing over Ino, who simply stuck her tongue out at her pink-haired friend. As their screaming match started, Sasuke's face took on a 'why god why?' expression. Naruto grinned at him, annoying Sasuke a little.

"You think this is funny dobe?" He asked.

Naruto laughed. "Only that you look pained to have two cute kunoichi fighting over the right to sit next to you." He said, not noticing the blush that graced the faces of both Ino and Sakura.

Sasuke grunted. "Please. All these girls do is sit around and bicker about which one is going to marry me. They're always chasing me around asking me to eat lunch with them, or trying to get me to go out with them. It's annoying." He said.

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment, before looking at Sasuke straight in the eyes. In a very matter-of-fact tone, he asked, "Sasuke, are you into guys?"

All the chatter in the classroom died down immediately. Sasuke shivered slightly as he felt all the attention in the room focus on him. His left eyebrow twitched violently. _'Naruto… I'm going to kill you.'_ He thought to himself.

"Of course not dobe." He stated. The room immediately went back to it's noisy self (after a sigh of relief from most of the girls, and a few sighs of disappointment from some of the boys). "Believe me, if you had to put up with this for a day, you'd feel the same way."

"Oh really? Wanna make a bet on that?" Naruto asked, smirking at Sasuke. Sasuke raised a brow at that, and was about to ask what Naruto meant when there was a burst of smoke in the front of the room, indicating that Iruka had finally arrived.

"Alright everyone settle down." Iruka called from the front of the classroom. He waited a few moments for everyone to quiet down, before continuing. "Good. First of all I want to congratulate everyone here. You've shown yourself to be fine examples of beginning ninja, and I'm sure you'll only continue to grow in skill as time goes on." He looked at the class, feeling a sense of pride at what they had accomplished. "Today as you know you'll be assigned to your genin squads. Each squad is lead by a Jounin sensei, who will continue your training in the ways of the shinobi. With this squad you will undertake missions for the Leaf. I expect each and every one of you to complete your missions with the skill and pride of a Leaf Shinobi." Iruka paused, making sure his students understood. "Now then, normally at this time I'd be reading off the squad list. However, we have a little change-up do to the amount of people graduating this year. So, you're all getting a small break while I go over the list with the Hokage. Feel free to get something to eat, take a walk, or anything else. Just be sure to be back here in 3 hours." With that, he poofed away to the Hokage Tower.

Naruto turned back to Sasuke. "So how about it Sasuke?" He asked, continuing on as if Iruka hadn't just made a big speech about their ninja careers. "Let's swap places until we come back for the team assignments. I guarantee after a day as me you'll be begging your fan girls to chase you."

"Oh? And what do I get once you lose?" Sasuke asked with a smug smirk.

"Loser has to admit in front of the entire class that the winner is superior to them in every way." Naruto said, grinning at the prospect of Sasuke having to humble himself.

"You're on dobe. On the count of three we'll jump out the window and henge into each other. We'll meet back here in two and a half hours." Sasuke said. Naruto nodded. "Alright then. One…"

"Two…" Naruto said, getting ready.

"Three!" They both said at the same time, leaping out the window. As everyone stared in confusion, there was two 'poofs' of smoke. When someone had finally shaken themselves out of their stupor, they looked out the window to see Sasuke running one way, and Naruto running the other.

Sakura sighed and turned to Ino. "Those idiots. Like anyone's gonna fall for…" She was interrupted as she heard a squeal come from outside. Poking her head out the window she saw a group of girls who had seconds ago been in the classroom chasing after 'Sasuke'. "Well, at least you're not falling for it Ino-pig… Ino?" Sakura looked around, but her friend was nowhere to be found.

* * *

(With the real Sasuke)

Ahhhh this was the life. He had actually gotten off the academy grounds without one person stalking him. He was actually able to just walk through the town without having to duck into alleyways to lose a fan girl or two.

Though he did find it odd that people in the village were still staring at him. His henge was perfect. He'd even managed to keep a smile on his face to act more like the loudmouth blonde. It had to be the orange clothing he finally decided. How could people not stare at someone who'd wear a full bright orange ensemble.

His stomach gave off a growl, reminding him that he was a bit hungry. He found it kind of hard to eat breakfast each morning. His house was just so empty. He only ever wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Shrugging, he decided to stop at a nearby tea stand. It wasn't anything a bowl of soup and rice couldn't cure. As he sat down at the stand, he noticed the two older ladies who had been sipping at their cups of tea stand up stiffly, before walking off. He shrugged to himself, and waited patiently for the man behind the counter to take his order.

And he waited. And waited. He waited some more just for good measure. After five whole minutes of the man pointedly ignoring him, he finally decided to try and get his attention.

"Excuse me, I'd like to order some food." He said, slightly confused at the treatment he was receiving.

The tea stand owner turned and looked at him menacingly. "You'll be ordering it somewhere else then brat. I won't serve you." He said, before turning back to his cups. Sasuke felt his eyes widen slightly in surprise. What did this guy have against Naruto? Did the blonde pull a prank on him or something?

"Look, I just want some red bean soup and a cup of tea…" Sasuke said. His eyes widened and he ducked as a tea cup went sailing over his head.

"I don't think you heard me. I will not serve a demon at this stand." The man said, readying another teacup to emphasize his point.

Sasuke jumped away from the stand in shock. What was with this guy? Even if Naruto had pulled a prank on him there was no reason for this kind of blatant hate. Shrugging to himself, he walked away from the stand. He took a few steps before he was stopped by a old woman holding a basket of fruit. He looked at her curiously, and took a step back at the look on her face. She was smiling, but her smile held no mirth to it. Instead it held back a kind of manic craze.

"So the little demon boy is hungry is he? Then how about some nice fruit?" She asked in a singsong voice, before taking a very rotten piece of fruit and smashing it on Sasuke's head.

Sasuke grimaced as he felt the juice running down his face. His face scrunched slightly at the smell of the rotten fruit. The crazy woman picked up another piece of fruit, and was about to hit him with it too when someone grabbed her arm.

"How sad is it that our own villagers would pick on a young ninja. This woman has obviously forgotten the springtime of her youth!" Said a man with a bowl cut, wearing a green spandex suit and a vest. The woman glared at him, before pulling her arm out of his grasp. She spit at Sasuke's feet, and then ran off. The man looked after her for a second, before turning to look at Sasuke.

"Are you alright Naruto-kun?" The man asked. He was obviously an acquaintance of Naruto's, but Sasuke had no idea who he was.

"I'm fine…" He said, still slightly shocked over what had happened. Was this what Naruto went through every day? Why would people treat him like this? It was insane! What could he have done to warrant such hatred?

'Naruto' looked troubled to Gai. _'The poor boy! He tries so hard to make the best of things, but these riffraff still treat him like trash.'_ Then he got an idea.

"I know Naruto-kun! Why don't you come train with Lee and me! We were just about to begin our morning laps around Konoha! Your youthful exuberance would be most welcome." He said, smiling at Sasuke with a thumbs up.

Sasuke blinked in confusion. "Umm… thanks, but I've only got a couple hours before I have to be back at the academy for team assignments and..." He was cut off as Gai grabbed his arm and started to drag him along.

"Excellent! It should only take us an hour or so to complete 200 laps. Let's be on our way then!"

One of Sasuke's eyes started twitching violently, and he couldn't help but wonder how Naruto was faring on their bet…

* * *

(With Naruto)

This was great! It was nice to actually have people looking at him with something other than hatred for once. He had to admit, it was kind of hard to shake the fan girls, but once he had done that things had gone great. Everyone he passed was looking at him, not with hate, but with a mixture of respect and pity. While he could do without the pity, it was definitely a step up from the usual glares.

Of course, as we all know, all good things must come to an end. This was the case for Naruto when he heard a girlish voice call out "Oh Sasuke-kun!" He cringed slightly, and turned around.

There was three girls, two he recognized from their class and one he's never met before. All looking at him with some weird glint in their eyes. He stopped himself from greeting them in his own usual manner, remembering that he was supposed to be Sasuke.

"What do you want?" He asked in his best Sasuke impression.

"We just wanted to know if you'd eat lunch with us? You know, since we might be separated once we're put on separate teams and everything." Said a girl with shoulder length blonde hair. She held up a bento box. "I made this for you and everything."

Naruto's stomach gave off a growl, and he grinned sheepishly. How could Sasuke not enjoy this? "Sure, that'd be fine I guess." The girls squealed in delight, and two of them each grabbed on of his arms while the other pushed him from behind, leading him to a bench near the academy.

Naruto sat down and the girls sat down on either side of him, seeming to fight amongst themselves for a second about the seating arrangements. Then they each took out a bento box.

"Here Sasuke-kun, try some of my onigiri." Said one of the girls, handing him a rice ball. Naruto took it and was about to take a bite when another girl stopped him.

"No Sasuke-kun, try some of my stir-fry first! It's _much_ better than her onigiri!" She said, holding up chopsticks with a bite of stir-fry in front of him. Naruto shrugged, and was about to take a bite, when the third girl shoved her out of the way.

"Ewww, you don't want her nasty stir-fry Sasuke-kun! Try some of my inari sushi." She said, holding a piece of sushi before him. Naruto looked on in confusion, and hunger.

He almost snatched the piece of sushi away from her, when he heard someone shout out, "Look! Sasuke-kun is having lunch with those girls!!" He turned around and his eyes widened as a stampede of girls rushed to him, each pulling out various lunch boxes.

"Here Sasuke-kun, try some of my-"

"Sasuke-kun, you love mochi right?"

The girls were literally clawing at him, trying to shove food into his face. Then, they actually _did_ start shoving food into his mouth, as they surrounded him. Naruto looked around in a panic. He loved food, but he was also partial to breathing. So, fearing for his life, he jumped up and tried to run through the group of love struck girls.

"He's trying to get away!" One of them shouted. He glanced over his shoulder and his eyes grew wide as he saw the girls leap after him. As their shadows descended over him, he was only able to say one thing.

"Oh cra-"

* * *

Naruto shuffled his way back into the academy building. His clothes were torn and his hair was messy, and he had food covering him. All in all, he had to admit… fan girls sucked.

He heard a sound come from behind him and saw Sasuke limping in. Their eyes met, and simultaneously they said "You win."

They stared at each other, and then slowly began laughing. Their laughter increased, fueled by the sound of the others laughs. Naruto clutched his stomach as Sasuke leaned against one of the walls.

Sakura came in and heaved a sigh of relief. "There you two are! Iruka-sensei is about to announce the teams." She said. She looked in confusion at the food covered Naruto, and the exhausted Sasuke, who were still laughing. She sighed, and walked back into the classroom. "Idiots…" She muttered under her breath.

Iruka looked at the last two students to enter. He wasn't as surprised that Naruto came in covered in food and scratches, as he was that Sasuke limped in smelling of rotten fruit. "Alright. I will now start listing off the names of the genin in each squad, and the name of that squads Jounin sensei. Your sensei will be here shortly to pick you up, and they'll take over your training from there."

Naruto looked around as Iruka called off the teams. Everyone seemed excited. Heck, he knew he was excited. He couldn't wait. Hopefully his sensei was someone really strong. Someone who would teach him a lot of cool new jutsus.

"Team 7," Iruka called out, "Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke." The three glanced at each other, a smile on Naruto and Sakura's faces, and a small smirk on Sasuke's. "Sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

"Team 8 is Aburame Shino, Inuzaka Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata. You're sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Team 10 is Nara Shikamaru, Akamichi Chouji, and Yamanaka Ino. You're sensei is Sarutobi Asuma."

With that, Iruka congratulated them all and wished them luck, before leaving the room. Afterwards the Jounin came to pick up their new students, until the only ones left were the newly formed Team 7.

An hour and a half passed without any sign of their sensei. Sakura sat staring at the ceiling, looking bored. Sasuke had resumed his brooding expression, cringing every now and then as the smell of fruit reached his nostrils. Naruto, had finally had enough, and decided he'd teach their sensei a lesson.

"He's not gonna fall for that you know." Sakura said, as Naruto carefully balanced a chalk covered eraser on the door. "He's a Jounin, there's no way he'll fall for such an obvious trap.

Naruto grinned back at her. "We'll never know unless we try right?" She just rolled her eyes.

A few minutes later, someone approached the door, causing the three to sit up. The door slid open, and a man with spike silver hair peeked his head in and looked around, as the eraser fell on his head covering it was dust.

'_No way…'_ Sasuke thought to himself.

'_He actually fell for it?' _**Hah! Serves him right!** Were the thoughts going through Sakura's mind. Naruto for his part just started laughing.

The Jounin shook his head, and looked at them from his single uncovered eye, the other one being covered by his headband. He wore standard Jounin attire, except for the cloth mask covering the lower half of his face.

"My first thoughts of you guys… I don't like you." He said straight-forwardly, causing the three genin to facefault. "Meet me up on the roof for introductions." With that he poofed away, leaving the three to look at each other in confusion. With a shrug, Sasuke stood up and walked out of the classroom, followed by Sakura and Naruto.

Kakashi was sitting on the railing when the three arrived. They sat down across from him and waited. Kakashi looked over them and said, "Alright, introduce yourselves. You know, name, likes and dislikes, hobbies and dreams, that kind of thing." He said.

"Um… Kakashi sensei, shouldn't you go first to show us what to do?" Sakura asked, curious about their new teacher.

"Alright. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have many likes and dislikes. My hobbies are…. And my dream is none of your business. Now pinky it's your turn."

Sakura and Naruto looked at him with a deadpan expression. _'So all we know is his name!'_

Sakura shook her head and began her introduction. "My name is Haruno Sakura. My likes are," At this point she glanced at Sasuke, and then at Naruto, before seeming to think about it for a moment, then continuing, "my friends. My dislikes are people who are mean for no reason. My hobbies are reading and I haven't really thought of my dream yet."

'_Huh. The report I had on her listed her as a typical fan girl. This is interesting.'_ Kakashi thought to himself as he nodded at Naruto. "Alright blondie, your turn."

Naruto stood up. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My likes are my friends, Iruka-sensei, ramen, and training. My dislikes are people who pick on other people, and the three minutes it takes for ramen to cook. My hobbies are training, trying different types of ramen, and gardening. And as for my dream… my dream is to become Hokage someday and protect everyone in the village!"

'_So he's the one with the Kyuubi huh? He turned out differently then I would've thought.'_ He then turned to Sasuke. "You, the brooding one."

Sasuke sat there for a second, before speaking. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like anything and I have many dislikes. And my dream… well it's not really a dream because I'm going to make it a reality. To kill a certain man and restore my clan."

Naruto and Sakura stared at Sasuke for a second, while Kakashi just mentally sighed. _'So he's an avenger. I guess it's to be expected…' _ Kakashi stood up. "Alright, now that we've got that out of the way we're pretty much done for the day. Tomorrow you will all meet at training ground 14 at 6:00 am for your real genin exam." He said.

The three exchanged confused looks. "But Kakashi-sensei, we already passed our exam." Sakura said. Kakashi shook his head.

"No, that was basically the preliminary exam to weed out the possible recruits. The real exam falls upon the Jounin instructor. And I'll warn you know, there's a only a 33 pass rate. Oh, and don't eat breakfast tomorrow. You'll just throw up." With that Kakashi poofed away, leaving three very confused genin.

* * *

Naruto woke up early the next morning, slightly tired but excited to get going. He took a quick shower, and skipped his usual cup of ramen, remembering what Kakashi had said the day before. He really didn't want to throw up in front of Sakura-chan. He dressed in his favorite orange clothes and a black t-shirt and then left his apartment, hurrying towards training ground 14.

When he got there he noticed Sakura and Sasuke had already arrived. They both looked tired, but ready to go just like he was. His face broke out in a smile, and he waved at the two as he approached. "Good morning Sakura-chan! Sasuke!"

Sakura waved at him, a small smile on her face. Sasuke nodded, and went back to staring off into the distance. Naruto leaned against a nearby tree and waited. Hopefully their sensei would be on time today. After all, it wasn't like he would be chronically late from now on right?

Two hours later, the answer seemed to be pretty self evident. Sakura looked ready to tear down every tree nearby, and even Sasuke had an annoyed look on his face. Finally, they heard some rustling in the bushes, and Kakashi made his way into the field.

"Morning everyone," He said smiling, at least Naruto assumed he was smiling, "Sorry I'm late. On my way here a black cat crossed my path so I had to retrace my steps."

Naruto blinked at his sensei before sighing and shaking his head. Sakura gave a shout of "LIAR!" her rage at their sensei's tardiness almost visible. Kakashi just shrugged, before getting a serious look on his face. He made a few hand seals, and with a puff of smoke an alarm clock and two bento boxes appeared in his hand. He walked over to the training posts and set them down. He turned around and held two small silver bells in his hand.

"The purpose of this exercise is simple. Get these bells from me before noon and you pass, and you'll get lunch. Anyone who fails to get the bell will go hungry. Oh, and they'll be sent back to the academy." Kakashi stated.

Sakura looked at the two bells in confusion. "Umm… Kakashi-sensei, there's only two bells, and three of us." She said.

Kakashi nodded. "Exactly, which means at least one of you will be going back to the academy no matter what." He stated, tying the two silver bells to his belt. The three genin looked at each other in shock. Kakashi looked at them, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "Well? What are you waiting for? The test has already started." He said. This shook the genin out of their stupor, and they all jumped away from Kakashi into the surrounding foliage. Kakashi looked around, both pleased that they were hiding, and a little disappointed that none of them had the courage to face him head on.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" An exuberant voice said behind him. He turned and there was Naruto, smiling at him. "Sorry, but the hiding thing isn't really my style, so I'm just gonna take you on." He said.

Kakashi just shook his head. Naruto smiled and started charging towards his sensei. He skidded to a halt though as Kakashi reached into his weapons pouch, only to face fault when he pulled out and orange covered book and started reading it.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei? Don't you think you should take this a little more seriously?" Naruto asked. Kakashi shook his head, his visible eye never leaving the book.

"Not really. After all, even if I'm reading there's no way you'll be able to take one of the bells from me." He stated matter-of-factly. He casually looked over and saw that his words had the desired affect, Naruto was getting angry. He charged forward again and tried punching his sensei. Kakashi merely sidestepped and kicked Naruto's feet from underneath him. Naruto flipped back up, attempting to kick Kakashi, but his foot only met air. He turned around in confusion to see Kakashi was gone.

"A good ninja never leaves his back unguarded." Kakashi's voice came from behind, before Naruto felt something… a little different. He looked behind him to see that Kakashi had shoved his fingers in a, very uncomfortable place. "SENENGOROSHI!" Kakashi shouted, and Naruto felt like his entire body had suddenly caught on fire. Kakashi watched as Naruto flew away from him, only to disappear in a puff of smoke. His eye widened in surprise. _'Ah he created a shadow clone to test my strength and keep me distracted. Very clever Naruto. However, you're never going to get a bell that way.'_

Naruto's eye was twitching violently as he watched his shadow clone get defeated. _'I can't believe Kakashi-sensei did that…'_ He thought to himself. But at least it had confirmed his suspicions. While the clone had only been meant for a distraction, he didn't see Kakashi leave any openings. And that was while he was reading a book. _'He's a Jounin for a reason. I don't think I'll be able to get a bell on my own.'_ He sighed to himself. He didn't like this. He had been happy to be put on a team with Sakura and Sasuke, only now it seemed like no matter what one of them was doomed to fail. He looked up with resolve in his eyes. If he couldn't get a bell on his own, then he'd just have to get some help.

He ran off in search of his teammates. He found Sakura crouched behind some bushes to Kakashi's left. He tapped her gently on her shoulder and jumped back as she readied herself for combat, holding his hands up in a sign of peace. She sighed, and looked back to where Kakashi was still standing, reading his book.

"Sorry to startle you Sakura-chan, but I needed to talk to you. I think you, Sasuke and me should team up to get those bells. I don't think any of us are going to be able to get it on our own." Naruto said. Sakura gave him an incredulous look.

"And what are we gonna do when we get the bells Naruto? There's only two of them remember?" Sakura asked.

"Wait one second." He said. Sakura just shrugged. A few moments later Sasuke walked up to the two, another Naruto standing next to him. Naruto nodded, and the him standing next to Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Alright. Like I was saying, I don't think we'll be able to get the bells on our own, but together, we might. I mean, he is a Jounin after all."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "And once again Naruto, what are we gonna do about there only being two bells?" She asked.

Naruto smiled, not his normal devil may care smile but a small resigned smile. "You two can take the bells. I'd rather at least you two pass then have all of us fail." He said. Then his smile brightened. "Besides, even if I get sent back to the academy, I'll still become Hokage some day!"

"Naruto…" Sakura said. Sasuke just smiled.

"Alright then do- I mean Naruto. What are we gonna do then?"

There was only an hour left before the exam would be over, and Kakashi would once again be free from the duties of having to teach a genin squad. He was a little disappointed however. Aside from Naruto's initial assault and a few shuriken thrown by Sasuke, they hadn't really even tried.

His eyes widened and he ducked as a barrage of kunai and shuriken flew over him. He turned just in time to jump away as another barrage flew slightly lower. But even as he landed, yet another group of shuriken flew towards him, coming from a completely different direction. Kakashi grabbed a kunai out of his pouch and deflected them all, finally putting his book away. He looked around but saw no sign of the genin. He did hear something though. _'What's that sound?'_ He asked looking around. He looked down at the scattered kunai and his eyes widened as he saw the explosive tag attached to one of them.

Sakura grinned as the explosion went off. Just like Sasuke had thought, Kakashi used a quick kawarimi jutsu to avoid it, leaving a charred log in his place. Which is exactly why she had lined the surrounding area with traps. She waited patiently till she heard another explosion, and Kakashi appeared back in the field. This was the cue she was waiting for, and she made a few hand seals.

Kakashi's eyes widened as Naruto and Sasuke appeared in front of him. They both had kunai out. Sasuke jumped up, trying to kick Kakashi in the face. Kakashi caught Sasuke's leg easily, but had to let go and turn to the side as Naruto attempted an axe kick. This was surprising. The two of them had apparently decided to work together. Of course, they'd left Sakura out, so they still failed, but he was interested to see how they planned on getting the bells.

Sasuke crouched down, attempting to sweep Kakashi's legs out from underneath him. Kakashi jumped up, and grabbed the fist that Naruto threw at him, using his own momentum to throw him towards Sasuke. Naruto smiled as he stretched out an arm. Sasuke stepped to the side, grabbing Naruto's arm and turning with the force of his projection, launching him back even faster towards Kakashi. Kakashi jumped into the air, wondering what they had hoped to accomplish with that little maneuver.

"Katon: Gokyaku no jutsu" A voice called out from behind. Kakashi turned just in time to see a large fireball soaring towards him, coming from another Sasuke. He knew he wouldn't have time to do a kawarimi, so he started the hand seals for a quick suiton jutsu. He paused however, when the fireball exploded, revealing three Narutos who tackled him to the ground. He landed with an oof, and quickly kicked the Naruto off of himself. He looked around at the group of smirking Narutos and Sasukes, as the Naruto's disappeared, and the Sasuke in the tree poofed away revealing a grinning Sakura. He just shook his head slightly, before he heard a tinkling sound come from behind him.

Kakashi turned around to see a grinning Naruto holding up both the bells, before tossing one to Sasuke and the other one to Sakura. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this, as Sasuke and Sakura stood next to their teammate, all three grinning at the Jounin.

"So, the three of you worked together even though only two of you get to pass?" Kakashi asked curiously.

Naruto nodded his head. "We figured we wouldn't be able to beat you one on one, but with the three of us you might leave an opening. Of course, most of the actual planning came from Sasuke and Sakura."

"I see," Kakashi said, nodding his head, "And how did you decide who would get the bells?"

"I volunteered to be the one sent back so they could continue on." Naruto said. Only Kakashi noticed that his smile lessened, just a tiny bit. Then, a loud growl was heard coming from his stomach. "Whoops. Heheh, sorry, guess I'm pretty hungry. Anyways, thanks for the match Kakashi-sensei." He said, before turning to Sakura and Sasuke, giving them a victory sign. "And good luck you two, I'm sure you guys will become great ninja." With that, Naruto poofed away, revealing it had been a shadow clone.

Kakashi noted the looks of surprise on the other two's faces. Apparently they didn't realize he'd been using a shadow clone either. He gave an inward sigh, and was about to give a speech to the remaining two about teamwork when Sakura held her bell out to him.

"Kakashi-sensei, I can't really take this. If Naruto is getting failed, then I should too." She said. Kakashi looked surprise, but his eyes widened even more when Sasuke followed suit.

"She's right. The only reason we got these bells was because we worked as a team. As much as I hate to say it, I don't deserve to pass if Naruto doesn't." Sasuke looked like he already regretted saying it, but he still handed the bell to Kakashi.

'_Great… there goes all my free time.'_ Kakashi thought to himself. "Team 7," He said seriously, startling both Sasuke and Sakura. "Your first mission is to locate your missing team mate Naruto and return here with him. You have one hour to accomplish this task."

The two genin gave each other a confused look, before shrugging, and heading off towards the village. After all, there was only one place Naruto could possibly be if he was hungry.

Kakashi stared after them after they left, thinking back to the night the Hokage had forced him to take on the team…

**(Flashback no jutsu)**

"_Kakashi, I'm a little worried about your behavior lately. You've been throwing yourself into our toughest solo missions without a break, and you're only taking group missions with Gai. And tonight you endangered the life of a young shinobi." Sarutobi said._

_Kakashi just sighed. It wasn't his fault his team was gone. Minato-sensei had of course given his life to save the village. Rin had died in the Kyuubi attack. And Obito… Kakashi unconsciously raised a hand up to his covered eye, remembering his old friend. So he had gotten a little tired when he came back from his third A-ranked mission that day. He still had gotten to the forest in time to see the boy take down Mizuki._

"_So, for your punishment, you're going to be taking on a squad of genin from this semester's graduation." Sarutobi said._

"_Hokage-sama, please forgive me but…" Kakashi started. The Hokage held up a hand to silence him._

"_I know how you feel about leading a team Kakashi. But I think it will be good for you. Besides, this isn't a request, it's an order.'_

_Kakashi sighed, before smiling at the Hokage. "Alright Hokage-sama. I mean, they still have to pass my test anyways. So I guess I don't really have anything to worry about."_

_The Hokage smiled, a bit mysteriously. "You might be surprised Kakashi."_

**(End Flashback no jutsu)**

Kakashi had to admit, the Hokage was right. And he didn't feel as depressed about it as he thought he might. _'If nothing else, it won't be dull'_ He thought to himself, before heading in the direction his team had just gone.

* * *

Naruto finished his second bowl of ramen with a content sigh. Ayame, the daughter of the owner of the ramen stand, looked at him slightly worried.

"Is everything alright Naruto?" She asked.

He grinned back at her. "Yeah, everything's fine Ayame-neechan, why do you ask?"

She smiled at him. "Because normally you'd be on your fourth bowl right now, and you haven't said much since you sat down."

"Nah, I'm fine really! Never been better." He said, giving her a smile that almost made her think he was telling the truth. Almost.

"You sure Naruto?"

He sighed, dropping the big smile for a smaller, more sincere one. "Yeah, some stuff happened a little bit ago but I'm alright. Thanks for caring Ayame-neechan." He said sincerely.

"Hey Naruto, I knew we'd find you here." Sakura said, walking up next to the blonde. Naruto looked over to see Sasuke standing behind her.

"Oh hey Sakura-chan! Sorry about the shadow clone, but I was really hungry and I didn't want to wait for Kakashi-sensei to fail me." He said, smiling sheepishly at her.

"That's fine Naruto. But Kakashi-sensei ordered us to come bring you back to the training ground. Apparently he's got something to talk to us about." She said.

Naruto looked confused. "Why? I already know I failed."

"Well, we've all failed now. Sasuke-kun and I turned our bells back in." She said with a smile.

There was a few moments of silence before a deafening "WHAT?!" was shouted by the blonde.

"What do you mean you gave back the bells?! After all that work trying to get them!"

"That's just it dobe. We worked together to get the bells. So it's only fair we either pass, or fail together." Sasuke said, smirking at Naruto.

"Maa, I couldn't have said it better myself Sasuke." Kakashi said, appearing behind the Uchiha (and nearly giving him a heart attack, though Sasuke would never admit it). "Sorry, I decided I'd just tag along with you guys so I didn't have to wait. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura…"

The three looked at him as Kakashi smiled at them. "You all pass!" He said.

Once again the looks of confusion graced the faces of the three shinobi. "But Kakashi-sensei, I never got a bell…" Naruto said.

"The bells were never the true goal of the test Naruto. They were actually there to create trouble within the team. Three people but only two bells of course meant that no matter what one person was going to fail. Normally, students would work either entirely on their own or even against each other, trying to make sure one of the bells was theirs." Kakashi's face became serious. "What they never seem to understand is that we place genin in three man squads for a reason. It's so that way you can watch out for each other, and help each other, use your skills together. I've got to say, out of all the teams I've ever given the bell test to, you're the only ones who seemed to get the fact that it would take teamwork to really get the job done." He smiled at them again.

"So, it was all basically just a trick then to see if we'd be willing to put aside ourselves for the good of the mission?" Sakura asked. Kakashi shook his head.

"Not just that, but also to care about each other. Even though Naruto had helped you and Sasuke get the bells, I was still going to fail you before you both returned your bells. You realized that it was a team effort, and as such you should be rewarded or disciplined as a team. You didn't just leave Naruto to suffer through another year at the academy. It's like a close friend of mine once said. 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are even worse than trash'."

Kakashi nodded at the look of understanding on their faces. Naruto almost seemed to be bouncing with joy, while Sasuke smirked and Sakura had a very Naruto-esque smile on her faces. "So Team 7, I expect you all to report at the Hokage's Tower by eight o clock tomorrow morning for you first mission."

Naruto jumped up, laughing and throwing a fist in the air. He grabbed Sakura in a tight hug and started spinning her around, saying "WE DID IT!" all the while, drawing strange looks from people nearby.

"Naruto!" Sakura said, laughing as she was spun around. "Put me down! I'm getting dizzy."

Naruto blinked and stopped, setting his friend down and smiling at her sheepishly. Teuchi and Ayame, who had been witnessing the entire thing, laughed. "Alright, how about a free bowl of ramen for the three of you to celebrate?" Teuchi asked, causing another cheer from Naruto. Kakashi smiled at the scene, before leaping up to the rooftops as he went to let the Hokage know his team passed. He had a feeling the Hokage would be laughing the entire time.

* * *

**A/N: First up I just want to take a moment and thank YellowDemonFlash for agreeing to Beta this for me. I really appreciate it! **

**And so we come to a close again. Next up we have Team 7's first missions, and of course, we'll want to see what's up with our other shinobi friends.**

**Hope you enjoyed, please review and let me know how I'm doing.**


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